


Kalopsia

by dame_de_la_chance



Category: Code Lyoko
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood, Drama, Gen, Gore, Near Death, Suspense, Tags May Change, but that’s about it, gratuitous useage of the word fuck, im sorry, it’s all fun and games until you keep nearly dying, jeremie says that A LOT, maybe hinted ulumi, mostly from Jeremie and ulrich, no ships, there’s quite a bit of cursing, this takes place about mid season two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-02-07 04:29:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 70,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12833322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dame_de_la_chance/pseuds/dame_de_la_chance
Summary: When Odd suddenly gains the ability to see the future, things become even more dangerous than before. It becomes even worse when XANA seems to be plotting something big...Secrets unraveling, fatal situations, and the omnipresent fear of what’s to come haunts the Lyoko Warriors as they try to save the world, stop XANA, and not die in the process.





	1. Chapter 1

When he first started to have them, they were dreams that danced in his head in the hours of night. Visions that left his heart racing and leaping, his body aching and plastered with sweat that dripped onto his sheets. They caused shivers to crawl down his spine, shudders that rack his body uncontrollably.

They didn’t mean much to him. He never could make out quite what happened, never could recall what made him so terrified. They were fleeting reveries lacking in pleasantness, phantasmes that froze his blood. They left him concerned, but not enough to voice them.

It wasn’t until they started to invade his waking hours did he start to fear. They became real. Tangible. He could remember what was happening, he could recall what made his blood curdle, what made him nearly scream in the middle of gym class. They explained why he was left with dread and panic in the dark shroud of night.

They became realistic, so much so that he could hardly tell the difference between the delusions of his madness or the reality he lived in. Was it a dream that he was facing, or the weight of the real life attempting to pull his fractured mind from his fiction?

“Odd?” A voice called, concern lacing his voice. Odd looked up to face the taller blond, who was sitting in the chair in front of him. He had spaced out during Jeremie’s rants... what had he even been talking about?

Ah. That was right. Jeremie was discussing how XANA’s attacks were becoming more powerful at an alarming rate. He was trying to find a reason behind the sudden power shift.

“I’m listening, Einstein,” he said in a cheerful tune. Jeremie rolled his eyes, concern disappearing rapidly like Odd’s ability to tell what’s real and what’s not.

“Oh really? I’m sure you can repeat back to me what I just said then, huh?”

Odd blanched, hesitating as Yumi’s earthy brown and Ulrich’s tree bark eyes darted toward him. Aelita’s apple greens were placed on him as well, Jeremie’s cool cerulean blues watched him with an analytical sharpness rivaled only by a computer.

He was saved by the alarm, beeping signifying the newest attack. Jeremie’s eyes darted away to the other three in the room, a frown proving his distraction. Odd was relieved.

“Get to the scanners guys. I’ll keep you updated on the attack.”

The four warriors obliged, racing to the elevator to Lyoko. Ulrich hit the button, and they descended into the lower levels that excited and terrified Odd all in one. 

They walked toward the scanners, and Odd stepped back with Ulrich to let the girls virtualized first. It was a system they had developed, scanning two at a time in a buddy system similar to the ones enforced at school. It has proved itself to be rather effective at times.

The doors opened back up, and the two boys stepped inside, not before Ulrich flashed him a concerned look. Odd ignored it and watched as the doors slid close.

“Scanner: Ulrich. Scanner: Odd.”  
A rush of wind ruffled his spiked hair and the familiar chill ran down his back. His blood pumped and his heart raced as he waited in anticipation.

“Virtualization.”

 

Odd materialized just after Ulrich fell to the ground, landing like a cat as he fell to his haunches. His tail flicked as Jeremie’s voice boomed through the air, startling the quartet of teens.

“The tower is due west of your position. I’ll send in the vehicles momentarily.”

They watched expectantly, waiting for him to go through with his word. There was a loud groan as Jeremie spoke again, this time with bad news.

“I’m sorry guys, but you’ll have to travel on foot; XANA is blocking me from the vehicle program.”

“No sweat,” Odd stated. “Just like the old days.”

“Not exactly something I want to go back to,” Yumi murmured, and Aelita shrugged. 

“Let’s not waste time,” Ulrich chided, and the team agreed, sprinting off in the direction Odd assumed was west. 

They were in the mountain sector, his favorite. The terrain was wild, scattered, and purple, like him. The forest sector held sentimental value, but in terms of excitement and thrill, the mountains were the place to be.

“I see it Jeremie!” Aelita called, and sure enough, the looming pillar of white rose from the horizon. Unfortunately, so did the outlines of creatures that have given them grief since the first day.

“Watch out. There are three Blocks and three Krabs awaiting your arrival.”

“Oh please,” Odd chided. “I’ve met girl scouts more powerful than those monsters.”

“Don’t jinx us,” Ulrich warned. Odd just grinned.

They finally reached the point in which the creatures sensed their arrival. The blocks scurried over, clanking as their small legs carried them over to the teens. The Krabs stood guard, protecting the tower as the Blocks attempted to take them out.

Odd grinned as he kept forward, rushing toward the Block before the others could get to them. As of right now, he was loosing the competition in monsters taken down; Yumi and Ulrich were tied. He was down by at least ten, last he remembered.

The Block swiveled toward him, the monsters charging up his weapon, and before Odd could dodge, a red beam shot at him. It struck him right in the chest, and Odd felt a burning different from the electrical feeling it usually produced. 

White hot pain seared up his sides, tingling his limbs with excruciating discomfort. His vision blurred, and he collapsed on the dirt ground, his senses going haywire.

 

_“Jeremie!” A voice screamed. Aelita shrieked as the boy in blue angrily stalked out in the street. Rain poured down, Noah probably building his ark as the heavy drops fell in excess amounts._

_The roads were drenched, and Jeremie’s hair was plastered to his face, dark splotches spotting his clothes. He was angry, his face twisted into a snarl, his eyes flashing like the lightning around them. Thunder boomed in the distance, cracking like a whip._

_White lights pierced the darkness of what seemed to be dusk, the dark clouds blocking view of the sky. A soft vibrating noise that couldn’t properly be described echoed in his ears, and Jeremie’s head turned just in time to see the front hood of a car ram into his torso._

 

Odd shrieked, his shrill voice slicing through the silent air around him. He thrashed as he tried to orient himself, terror racking his body as he felt constrained. Something solid was pressing him down, and he needed to leave. Jeremie?! Was he okay?!

“Odd!” A voice called. “Calm down!”

Hands were pressed into his shoulders, palms pinning him to the cold ground. Tree bark eyes met his own, and his blurry vision settled as brown hair and green clothing came into focus.

Ulrich leaned over him, kneeling at his side, and Yumi on the other as Jeremie and Aelita were in front of him. He stopped moving, going completely still as his limbs grew tired and he realized it was his friends. What happened? Why was he on the ground?

“Odd, are you okay?” Aelita asked.

“Have you been keeping something from us?” Jeremie inquired.

“What?” Odd shot back, his head swimming. Yumi and Ulrich shared a look before Ulrich cleared his throat.

“You were shot on Lyoko, and you passed out. Jeremie rematerialized you and you never came back up to the computer room.”

“We stopped XANA and deactivated the tower, and when we came back, we found you down here, unconscious,” Yumi explained, picking up from Ulrich. “What happened?”

Odd shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Jeremie looked unimpressed. “Odd, we need to know in case this happens again. We really could have used your help.”

“What, accusing me of fainting so I don’t have to fight on Lyoko?” Odd snapped, clasping a hand over his mouth. He didn’t mean to say that. 

Aelita’s eyes widened. “No! We’re just worried about you Odd. We want to make sure you’re safe.”

Odd rubbed his temples, trying to figure out what to say. This was the first time the vision had been so detailed. He was never able to see people’s faces before, or identify voices before. The realism of the situation was growing.

“Odd?” Yumi said, snapping Odd back.

He gave a cheerful smile and a thumbs up. “Don’t worry! I’m fine. I probably just didn’t eat enough. You know, I slept through breakfast.”

Ulrich frowned, but Odd didn’t leave room for argument as he started to sit up. They backed up and he stood, swaying lightly as his knees felt ready to buckle at any moment. Why was he so rattled? It wasn’t real.

“No return to the past though, right?” Odd asked as their scrutinizing gazes were wandering over him. He was used to being the center off attention, but being analyzed was different from being chastised for being too loud.

“Right,” Jeremie started. “There wasn’t a need for one. XANA’s attack was to take over the factory.”

“Again?” Odd asked, before shrugging. He didn’t actually care. He was stopped. That’s all that mattered. “Well, I’m glad I won’t have to sit through detention again.”

Ulrich cracked a grin. “So that’s where you were. What now? Harassing the teachers finally made them crack?”

“It wasn’t even my fault this time,” Odd teased. “The teachers were asking for it.”

“Well,” Jeremie started, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I think we need to get home. It’s your curfew, right?”

Yumi groaned. “Yeah. We better head out. I’d rather avoid another screaming session at home.”

The five teens chatted as they made their way across the bridge, the sewers an easy ride as they weren’t in a rush. They reached the surface at a slow pace, and the absence of the sun was noted. The moon beamed in the dark sky, and clouds littered the atmosphere like trash littered the streets.

They walked with Yumi, escorting her to her place, and Odd was mostly flying on autopilot. Muscle memory allowed him to keep up with the others as the vision flitted through his head. A shiver ran up his spine, the cold dampness of the dream crawling on his skin.

They reached her house quicker than anticipated, and Odd nearly rammed into Ulrich. They wished her a good night, and started on their way back, hoping to sneak in without notice. Odd had long since stopped caring about getting caught, and yet so far, he hasn’t.

“I’m sorry Jeremie,” Aelita started. “But I’m actually rather busy. I was able to get a gig to DJ Emily’s party.”

“But we cleared out schedules for this,” Jeremie insisted. “Isn’t finding a cure more important than a silly gig?”

“Silly gig?” Aelita repeated. “Jeremie, this is important to me!”

“And so is finding the cure!”

“We’re not going to get it done in hours when it’s taken us months to do so!”

“You don’t think I found something important?” 

Odd watched as the argument quickly escalated. Ulrich and him shared a look, and Ulrich have a sigh. “Guys, let’s calm down.”

“No,” Jeremie argued. “No, what’s wrong with my research?”

“Jeremie, can’t we talk about this later?”

“Fine.” Jeremie rolled his eyes and picked up his pace, walking in front of the group at a considerable distance.

Aelita crosses her arms, and Odd put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“He's so stubborn!” Aelita murmured.

“So’s Ulrich,” he stated, giving said boy a wink. “But even he knows when to admit he’s wrong. Give him time.” Aelita smiled softly as Ulrich rolled his eyes in annoyance. 

Odd glanced up, and watched as a small drop of water landed on his nose. Seconds later, and a steady drizzle fell. The students hustled their pace, trying to find some sort of shelter, but Jeremie didn’t seem to care. He continued to stalk forward, the rain drenching his clothing and hair as he continued onward.

Suddenly, thunder clapped across the streets, echoing loudly in the back of his skull as the others jumped from surprise. Lightning flashed, streaking across the dark sky before fading into nothingness. The pit in Odd’s stomach had been growing, and now he was fearful of what was to come. Déjà vu was pouring over him like the showering thunderstorm.

White light bathed the dark streets, dimly brightening the shadows of the night. Jeremie crossed the street without a glance up, his eyes trained on his feet. 

“Jeremie!” Aelita suddenly shrieked, and Odd felt a sense of terror as the visions flashed before his eyes, and he knew what was to come. Jeremie’s head snapped up, and the car barreled toward him at a steady, fatal pace.

Blood littered the street, oozing from the body sprawled across the ground, becoming diluted from the steady stream of rain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which someone else took the fall, and the Warriors re-evaluate their mortality.

Jeremie’s head hit the ground with a thud that resonated through out his skill, bouncing off of the cold cement and he could feel a bruise forming on the scalp. Arms were rapped around his legs, having slid down from his torso during the impact. Cuts littered his arms, and a dull ache settled in his hip as it had smashed against the damp road, but he was alive.

For a moment, he forgot his surroundings. The death defying situation replayed in his head on a loop, numbing him, the car lights flickering as the hood neared his body.

He heard someone shrieking, and tried to turn around to see who. The heavy weight on his legs, arms snaking around his knees, caused him to only move his neck. He started to scream too.

Odd was laying on the ground near him, his arms wrapped around him, unmoving. His hair was matted with first and rocks and blood, and he was face down on the ground. His purple clothing was stained in mud and blood. The red liquid trickled away from his still body, running away as the rainwater washed it down the street.

“Odd? Jeremie?” Someone shouted, and Jeremie glanced up to see Ulrich and Aelita sprinting over to him. Ulrich made it first, hovering over the two of them before dropping down to Odd’s side, realising he was the one in need of medical attention.

Jeremie watched as he rolled the small boy onto his back, his face covered in sludge and blood dripping down his face. His eyes were closed, and a placid expression fluttered across his bloody face, not fear like Jeremie had been expecting. It only made the situation more terrifying.

Aelita was sobbing as she reached him, pulling his face into her chest. She tangled her fingers in his locks, raking through them as She sniffled. Jeremie leaned into her, eyes still focused on the still body in front of him. 

Ulrich was shaking the boy, terror evident in those sturdy brown eyes. His hands were on his shoulders, trying to get him to wake up, screaming at the motionless boy. Odd didn’t flinch, didn’t moan, didn’t do anything, and Ulrich looked ready to scream.

Jeremie stared at the child before him as he slowly dig into his pocket. Grabbing his mobile, he lifted the cold metal to punch in a number, and swiftly pushed it into his ear. The dial tone rang for a moment before a voice answered.

“Hello? 112, what’s your emergency?”

Jeremie breathed deeply for a moment, terror filling his lungs. He felt as if he was suffocating, a fish out of water, the oxygen stolen from his lungs. He was terrified as he watched Ulrich break down, hanging his head as he rested his fists on Odd’s chest. Tears mixed with rain water as the steady beat of drops splashed the surface, never missing a beat. 

“I think my friend is dead.”

 

_“That’s so silly,” a voice called, instantly recognized as Yumi’s. “XANA didn’t actually do that, did he?”_  
_“Well, he just did,” another answered, his own voice stating with bitterness._  
_“He just locked us in a closet.”_  
_Yumi’s face came into focus, and it was easily apparent they were in a janitors closet. Brooms and mops and all sorts of disinfectants lined the shelves, cramping the enclosed space more so than they had realized. Yumi and Odd were trying to avoid contact, which was rather difficult as Yumi’s elbow was digging into Odd’s leg, and his back was squished against her head._  
_“All of his attacks to kill us, and he just locks us in a closet to stop us? And it’s working?”_  
_“You spoke too soon Odd,” Yumi’s voice lowered to a whisper._  
_Odd frowned and turned to see what Yumi was gazing at. Instantly, he regretted the decision of hiding in the closet._  
_A gaseous substance shifted through the crack of the door, and Jeremie’s reminder of the school’s gas being possessed. XANA’s specter was right under their noses._  
_“Great,” Odd murmured as the stench of flammable gas filled his senses._

Hazy was a good word for what he was feeling. He felt as if he took a dive in the beach back at home, where his mother would send him and the girls so she could relax, where he spent most of his days painting the scenic sunsets of Italy and washing away the paint that stained his skin in the clear waters, watching a rainbow bloom around him. He felt as if he was swimming under the water, his head all the way in, sounds and colors bending around him.

Instead, when he opened his eyes, the blue tint of the ocean turned into the blinding white, and the taste of salt on his tongue turned to rust. 

He shifted, trying to understand where he was. He’s watched enough tv and been in these rooms before to know where he was. The sterilization, bright white walls with white lights, and crisp white sheets covering his bare legs and gowned torso. He was in a hospital.

Soft breathing made its way through the murkiness he was feeling, and he noticed sitting in the two chairs were a boy in green and another in blue. Both were asleep, the boy in blue’s hands on the keys of a computer, whose light blinked dimly, illuminating his face and spectacles. 

Odd smiled. Ulrich and Jeremie were here with him. But why was he here?

He rolled over, shuffling around as his legs reached the end of the bed. He stood up on wobbly feet, his knees groaning at the idea of supporting his weight. His head throbbed at the movement, and he was actuately aware of the wrapping around his forehead, like he was wearing a headband.

He continued to venture away from his bed, his gait crooked and uneven as he peered out into the hallway. The chatter of voices fluttered through the air, and he made his way toward them, hoping they were friendly. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, his watery bubble around his head only able to pick up murmuring.

He waddled into a smaller opening, vending machines pinning the walls and opposing them were a few brightly colored chairs. To girls were standing, holding red soda cans as they chatted. They looked nervous, one in black was glancing around and the one in pink was playing with her hair.

The soda can dropped with a rattle.

“Odd?” Yumi asked, her eyes wide as she focused on him. He smiled happily.

“Good...” he started cheerfully, before he trailed off, realizing he didn’t know what time it was. He’ll guess. “Evening?” That’s what it had been, last he remembered.

Aelita let out a loud sigh. “Odd, What are you doing up? You just had stitches; you probably shouldn’t even be moving.”  
He frowned as his hand patted his head. 

“It’s a headband.”

The two girls exchanged looks. “The doctors did say he was in a lot of pain and upped the dosage of pain killers.”

“I’m a lady killer,” he responded, his tongue feeling rather numb in his mouth. 

The two shared a smirk and quickly walked up to him. His balance had increasingly worsened, and he swayed heaving, rocking side to side until Aelita places her hand on his shoulder, stranding him.

“Okay Casanova,” she greeted. “I think it’s time we get you back to your room.”

“But I don’t wanna,” he protested as they guided him back, following them like a lost puppy. 

They reached the room, and Odd put his finger to his mouth. “Shhh!” He warned. “Blue and green are sleeping.”

They gave him a confused look as his message appeared cryptic until they walked in. The two boys were still fast asleep, their position the same as when Odd had awoken. Aelita and Yumi smiled softly at the two before turning back to Odd.

“Lie back down, okay?”

“Okay,” he answered back. He was rather sleepy. And he couldn’t explain the closet scenario he had just seen. He dropped his body to the bed, flopping onto it with as much grace as an elephant, and was out like a light.

The girls giggled softly, their chuckles pulling him to sleep.

 

Ulrich lurched awake, his eyes snapping open as he bolted forward. He turned to face Odd, who was laying peacefully on his bed, a thoughtful expression placed on his features. Ulrich stretched, trying to ignore the images that flirted through his head at the sight of his sleeping friend.

The ambulance that came with the doctors, how they tried to pull him away from his nearly dead friend. How he had launched himself in the back with no hesitation, how he watched as Jeremie and the others faded into specks, the policemen on the scene walking up to them to interview.

How his friend’s bloodied body was attempted to be stabilized. How they failed in the ambulance. How they had shoved him aside as they rushed him to the critical care unit, locked him out from the inside. How he had watched from the small circular windows as they tried to operate. How he heard the steady beeping suddenly switch to shrieking as the monitors warned them, how they screamed as the line went straight. How they hustled to get the defibrillator, how it took three times to resuscitate him.

How he looked when Ulrich was finally allowed in his room, pale, broken, dark bruises littering his skin and large gauze wrappings around many body parts.

He shivered, glancing at the smaller boy, before looking up at the two girls. They had arrived nearly three hours ago, Aeltia having gone back to school out of fright the night before and Yumi not knowing about it until she went.

“Odd woke up,” Yumi stated, staring thoughtfully at the blond. “He was really out of it. I think it was the morphine.”

“The operation was pretty extensive,” Jeremie murmured, his computer shut. “There was a lot of internal damage. He’s lucky to be alive.”

“Hit and run,” Ulrich whispered.

“I don’t understand,” Aelita started off. “He dashed out into the street before any of us even saw the car. How did he know?”

“He must have heard it,” Ulrich suggested.

“The rain was way too loud,” Jeremie stated. “I didn’t hear it until...”

He trailed off, his eyes staring into his lap, and Ulrich understood. “True.”

“I don’t think it matters,” Yumi stayed. “I’m just glad you both are alright.”

“Objectable,” another voice chimes in, and all four averted their attention to bed. Odd was sitting up, dark circles under his eyes but a pleasant smile settling on his lips. “I feel like I just got ran over.” He paused. “Wait.”

“Merci Dieu,” Jeremie whispered. “Odd, are you okay?”

“Why did you do something like that?”

“How did you know about the car?”

“How are you feeling?”

Odd seemed bewildered at all the questions, trying to untangle them. He hesitated, before simply saying, “I’m fine.”

“How did you know about the car?” Ulrich asked, repeating Aeltia’s question. 

“I heard it,” he answered easily, but unable to meet his eyes. He was lying.

“Why did you do it?” Jeremie murmured. “Why’d you take the hit?”

“You would of done the same thing.” Odd didn’t look bothered or unsure of that statement. Jeremie looked rattled at that fact. “It was either you or me. I’m glad it was me.”

“That’s... Odd, I’m not-“

“It’s fine,” Odd stressed the ‘i’, and put his arm behind his head. His other was in a purple cast, having broken it in his fall. “Anyway, I’m ready for lunch. Yeah?”

Jeremie still looked bothered. The whole gang did. It was one thing to sacrifice yourself on Lyoko, to dive in front of a laser to make sure Aelita will get to the tower. The biggest consequence was just virtualization; you’re still alive, still breathing afterwords. 

But in real life, mortality is a problem. It’s there, it’s real, and no one will always be lucky enough to escape its grasp. One day luck will run out. Sacrificing yourself has bigger risks here; injuries will take long periods of time to heal. 

And death.... That was permanent. 

Game over.

Odd stood up, stretching in a fashion similar to a cat, and smiled cheerily. “Come on guys, lighten up. Where’s that hospital-ity?”

“Good to know a near death experience won’t destroy your sense of humor,” Ulrich said, watching the smaller boy.

It had only been a day since the hit and run. A day since the mangled body was unresponsive to his attempts and nearly flatlined. Odd was still worse for wear; he was still extremely pale, mostly due to excessive blood loss. He looked even thinner in the hospital gown, reminding Ulrich of a skeleton. His hair was matted and no longer in his signature style; the first time he’s seen it like that since they first met. Bruises still bloomed like flowers as they snaked up his arms and legs, and scratches of various sizes were easily noticeable.

Odd winked. “You can’t exactly _steer_ me away from a good joke.”

Jeremie looked uncomfortable at the car puns. Ulrich could understand; watching your friend get hit by one and nearly die trying to save you was a terrifying experience. Odd was the one hit and he didn’t even seem to care.

“Anyway, since I’m no longer tire-d, where do I get food? I’m ready for breakfast.”

“Odd, it’s six. In the evening.”

He blanched. “I’ve been out a whole day?”

“Yeah?”

“I missed the new episode of Hospital of Horrors!” He places his hands on his cheeks in a dramatic fashion. “This will not do! I’m having breakfast/lunch/dinner whatever and I’m making up for lost time!”

The boy immediently marched off, exiting the room without another word. He limped slightly, favoring his left side, and moved passed the two girls standing guard. All four exchanged glances, wondering how the boy remained so cheerful. 

Ulrich believed it to be a sham. But that didn’t stop a small amount of admiration.

He stumbled out of his chair, and Jeremie stood up with him, rubbing his arm. Yumi and Aelita watched them as they walked out of the room before following, and Ulrich tried to pick up the pace to catch up to Odd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie’s feeling guilty, Ulrich’s probably traumatised, and Odd is hungry. Sounds about right.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> XANA attacks, Odd is faced with a terrible choice, and the team worries.

A week later, and Odd was back in class, much to chagrin. His story spread like a wildfire in a dry spell, due to Tamiya and Milly’s reporting for the school newspaper, which gained instant attention. 

His purple cast was filled with signatures from varying people, strangers and friends alike. The girls were starting to swarm around him again, a welcomed plus side to getting ran over, deeming him a hero. School was actually looking brighter as he gained popularity, and teachers actually started to respect him (surprise, surprise), even Jim. The P.E. teacher had gone on a long lecture about his time in the army, and while Odd didn’t really understand most of it both because he zoned out and because Jim was rambling, he did see that Jim was proud.

Yet no matter his popularity or good luck, no matter how many ladies flocked to him or how lenient his teachers were, his ‘dreaming’ was still getting worse. Images of the closet fluttered at nearly all hours, leaking into his daily activities. During school, while he was asleep, even in the middle of conversations. They reminded him of the Future Flashes he used to have, how they would randomly appear whenever they pleased, but that was impossible. That ability had been deleted long ago by Jeremie, and powers from Lyoko couldn’t manifest in the real world.

Sometimes the scene stretched beyond just finding the gas, sometimes it stopped as soon as Yumi spoke. But they still haunted him as he went about his day.

He considered talking about it to someone. Jeremie seemed too shaken up by the car incident to help, and would probably assume they were delusions caused by head trauma. He wasn’t very close to Yumi, Aelita would compare it to her nightmares, and he didn’t think they were similar and Ulrich... He was still debating on him. He’d probably think it wasn’t anything important. And maybe it’s not.

But the accuracy of his last nightmare stopped him from truly believing that. Was his closet-reverie an important clue? Would it come true? Was the last one just a fluke?

He didn’t know anymore. He was afraid to find out.

 

Math class was the worst. He despised geometry with a burning passion. He has so many other things to do with his time, like finish his paintings or William’s birthday present or literally anything else.

He drummed his fingers on his desk, staring out the window. Even worse, none of his friends were in his class, so he was left in a perpetual state of boredom. His fingers tapped in a soothing rhythm, and he contemplated taking a nap, but it might be too much of a risk. The teacher was busy on triangle congruences and proofs, so he might be able to...

His phone buzzed in his pocket, vibrating against his bruised skin. He glanced down, slipping it out of his jeans and checked the message.

_XANA sos. Get to factory now._

He stuck his hand in the air, slipping the phone back in its place. The teacher turned around, about to ask the class a question, but paused when they saw his hand. He could see the sigh they were holding back.

“Yes, Della Robbia?”

“May I see the nurse? I think my head injury is acting up,” he tried, attempting at pity points with the stitches in his head. The teacher nodded, buying the story and expressing concern.

Maybe he should get hit with a car more often.

He dashed down the halls as soon as he quietly left the room, ready to head to the factory. As soon as he stepped out into the next hallway, he noticed Yumi dashing away from the English hall. He smirked.

“Yumi!” He called, careful not to disturb the other classes but just loud enough for her to hear. She turned around, a soft smirk on her face as she waited for him to catch up.

“Fancy seeing you out of class,” she greeted as the two started to run again.

“Why Ishiyama, the straight A angel,” he said in an exaggerated teacher voice. “Are you cutting class?”

Their small talk momentarily distracted them, which was their first mistake. They turned right, and was met face to face with Jim, who had been patrolling the halls. Odd couldn’t even use the nurses office excuse; he was running in the opposite direction.

Thankfully, Jim was facing the other way, his back toward the two teens, and they searched on how to get out of the situation. Yumi flicked her head in the direction of a closed door, and Odd noticed it seemed to be a closet. Without hesitation, the two bounded towards it just as Jim turned around.

Odd make awkward eye contact as Yumi attempted to open the door. The eye of XANA flashed, and he instantly realized they were facing the specter. Before he could earn Yumi, she had opened the door and was pulling him inside, latching onto his shirt as she dragged him in.

She shut the door softly, but there was no point now. “Yumi, it’s XANA! Jim’s been XANAfied” Odd hissed as the sound of footsteps reached their ears. Yumi groaned at their luck.

The footseps stopped at the door, and Odd was ready to burst Godard, to rush the bigger man using the element of surprise. Before they could act, they heard a soft click, and the door jiggle. The footsteps started up again before fading in the distance.

Odd had a feeling he knew what happened. He watched as Yumi grabbed the door, resisting the knob as hard as she could. She tried ramming into it, pushing with all her might. Odd considered eloping, but didn’t find it likely that his svelte form would be of any assistance.

“XANA’s locked us in,” Odd stated.

“That’s so silly,” Yumi said, panic rising in her voice. “XANA didn’t actually do that, did he?”

“Well, he just did,” he answered, bitterness rather heavy in his voice.

“He just locked us in a closet.”

Déjà vu struck at full force once again, and Odd felt dizzy. The phantasmes flashed in his mind as he realized what was happening. He tried to stay calm. Yumi’s phone buzzed as he tried to think of what to do to get them out. They had to. He knew what was coming next.

He read over her shoulder, the message from Jeremie reading: _Get here! XANA has possessed the school’s gas system. Situation dangerous._

“All of his attacks to kill us, and he just locks us in a closet to stop us? And it’s working?” Odd murmured as Yumi slammed her weight against the door once again.

“You spoke too soon Odd,” Yumi’s voice lowered to a whisper. 

Odd frowned and turned to see what Yumi was gazing at. Gas was sleeping in through the crack of the door, and Odd gave a deep sigh. He wasn’t even scared at this point, just annoyed. Can’t they have one day without near death situations?

“Okay,” he started. “We’re in a janitors closest, surely there’s some of those surgeon masks things, right? They could filter the air or something, yeah?”

Yumi seemed to understand what he was saying. “Right. That makes sense.”

Odd and her searched the shelves lining the walls, elbowing each other as they tried to find what they were looking for. Odd coughed, feeling the gas burning his nose and throat as it caused the reflex. Yumi gave him a concerned look which he ignored; they needed to find something.

“A wet rag?” Yumi offered when they came up with nothing. Time was escaping them; it wouldn’t take long before the gas completely overtook the air supply. Odd nodded.

They went back to searching. Rags were plenty, but water was scarce. Odd was coughing harder now, and Yumi was starting to as well; Odd blames weak lungs from the accident. Good luck was running out.

“Ah ha!” He cried, pulling out a mask from a bucket of supplies in the corner. There was a small problem. There was only one.

Yumi and Odd exchanged looks, until Odd broke off into a fit of coughs. Yumi followed, both coughing their throats dry, the texture becoming sandpaper. 

Without hesitation, Odd tossed the mask at Yumi. “Wear it,” he ordered with as much conviction as possible. That was rather difficult, as his voice was hoarse from dry coughing.

“Odd, no.” She tried to shove it back at him, but he leaned away. “Odd, I refuse.”

He glanced around. The move he was about to take was risky, especially if it didn’t work. Repercussions could prove to be immense, but if what he thought was happening, he might not live to se them. But she might. It was all he had.

Without warning, he slammed Yumi’s head into the wall with all the force he could muster. She let out a loud screech and clawed at him before her head smashed into the wall. She slowly slumped, laying on the floor in a heap, and Odd gripped the mask tightly. He moved her head and pulled it around her face, covering the nose and mouth. He was going to regret this if he lived; if.

He started to cough again, this time even worse than before. His lungs were burning and his throat felt like he had swallowed sand. His eyes sting and he could feel tears threatening to fall as he slowly slid down next to Yumi. His coughing fit immediately came back, harder, more forceful, and he felt like his lungs were coming out.

He could barely breathe anymore, feeling clogged up in a sickly manner, his lungs wheezing with his sporadic breath.

In a matter of minutes, Odd was fighting for consciousness. He desperately hoped the mask had helped Yumi. He weakly reached for her wrist, and easily felt her pulse. Weaker than normal, but not deathly. She was okay. 

He winced, coughing again in another attack, and blackness swarmed around his vision. He couldn’t die here. He didn’t believe it.

His eyes slowly drop as his consciousness escaped him. He couldn’t breathe...

 

Ulrich pierced another krab’s eye, jumping away as it was blown to smithereens. Aelita was using her creativity to take out a group of Blocks, making the land beneath them disappear, thus letting them fall into the sea. They were in the ice sector, everybody’s least favorite. 

Ulrich skated toward Aelita, making sure that she’s okay. He had lost over half his life points, and he needed to quickly escort her before he gets devirtualized. They made eye contact before they continued to run.

Their vehicle had been wreaked by a different Krab, so they sprinted on foot. 

“Still no contact with Odd of Yumi?” Aelita asked as she sprinted next to him. There was a silence for quite some time before a reply was heard.

“No. They haven’t answered. I’ve tried texting them and I’m about to call them.”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Ulrich tried without sounding assuring. “And we’re almost there, right?”

“Yeah...”

“There’s a hoard of wasps on you tails. Be careful.”

“Right.”

Ulrich turned around, Aelita continuing to run as he watched three wasps fly toward him. They were one of his least favorite monsters, as they had an elevated advantage. “Run ahead Aelita. I’ll take it from here.”

He swung his sword stopping in his tracks and started to sprint toward the wasps. They flew around him, circling him as he tried to figure out a plan. Thankfully, they were preoccupied solely on him.

“Supersprint!” He shouted, running toward a ledge to his left. A plan formulated in his mind. He smirked. Perfect.

They wasps followed him, and he ran up the ledge before jumping off, twisting his body and landing on one of the wasps. He struck his sword inside the eye of XANA, and jumped off. He landed on another, and was able to kick a wasp into the ledge, smashing it as he stabbed the one he was on.

Not bad.

“I’m at the tower!” Aelita called, and Ulrich turned his attention to the white building just in time to watch her sprint in. 

“Good work guys. Let’s hope we made it in time.”

A few seconds later, and Aelita’s voice rang clear. “Tower deactivated, Jeremie.”

“Great. Return to the past now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “What will happen?” You ask, tears in your eyes. You look at me with awe and fear. The cliffhanger is too much to bear.  
> I laugh maniacally in response, smirking. “I don’t even know.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another near death, another ambulance call, and everybody is probably traumatised.

Yumi opened her eyes to find herself in the middle of English. She felt blurry, which was the wrong adjective to use but accurately described the haziness of her mind. She blinked, the bright lights of the class disorienting her.

William sat to her right, staring at her with concern as she suddenly slouched. “Yumi, are you okay?”

Her head was swimming as she tried to keep up right. What had happened?

 

_“Ah ha!” He cried, pulling out a mask from a bucket of supplies in the corner. There was a small problem. There was only one._

_Yumi and Odd exchanged looks, until Odd broke off into a fit of coughs. Yumi followed, both coughing their throats dry, the texture becoming sandpaper._

_Without hesitation, Odd tossed the mask at Yumi. “Wear it,” he ordered with as much conviction as possible. That was rather difficult, as his voice was hoarse from dry coughing._

_“Odd, no.” She tried to shove it back at him, but he leaned away. “Odd, I refuse.”_

_He glanced around and Yumi watched him. He was thinking deeply about something, and she wasn’t sure what he was planning._

_Without warning, he slammed Yumi’s head into the wall with all the force he could muster. She let out a loud screech and clawed at him before her head smashed into the wall. She slowly slumped, laying on the floor in a heap, and listened to the rustling that sounded like white noise._

_Her head moved as something wrapped around her face. It was the mask. Before she could protest, darkness over took her, and her consciousness submerged, drowning in the blackness._

Yumi’s eyes fluttered open. William continued to stare at her until she looked away, turning her head to look at the blackboard. The action nearly caused her to fall out of her chair. Odd had knocked her out? But a return to the past would have fixed any damage?

She tentatively raised her hand. “Sir, I need to go to the nurses office. I’m not feeling well.”

“Fine,” the teacher grumbled, and waved his hand for her to go. William watched her with scrutinizing eyes as she slowly slid off the chair. 

“Do you want me to go with?”

“No, no.” She didn’t wait for him to say anything else, and shambled over to the door, not turning back.

She felt loose, and her lungs still burned. The taste of flammable gas rested on her tongue, as if she had swallowed gasoline. She sluggishly drug herself toward the nurses office, and peeked inside, wondering how she’ll explain her sudden possible concussion.

Voices fluttered through the air, loud and frantic. She watched as the mess unfolded in front of her, terror obvious in everyone’s faces.

“Call an ambulance!” A voice shouted. 

“Jeremie! Quickly!”

“Ulrich! Hand me the towels!”

“Yes ma’am!”

Nurse Yolanda was kneeling over an occupied bed, and Jeremie hovered nearby. Ulrich was on the other side, practically drowning in white towels as he rushed to get back. The nurse frantically moved about toward the sink, dampening the cotton towels, as Jeremie’s voice rang through the air.

“Hello, 112? My friend suddenly collapsed at school! He won’t wake up and he’s barely breathing!”

Yumi opened the door, slowly pushing her way inside. Ulrich glanced up to met her, earthy brown meeting solid bark, but no one else seemed to notice. Completely understandable, considering a student is possibly dying and they need an ambulance. 

Her eyes widened as she recognised the figure on the bed, his face empty and pale. Odd was laying perfectly still, deathly quiet. She shuddered.

“What happened?” Yumi asked as Ulrich slithered over to her, shoved away by Yolanda as she laid rags on his head.

“I don’t know,” Ulrich answered, his face red. His eyes looked puffy. Had he been crying? “Odd suddenly collapsed in the middle of geometry. I had came in because it was my free period and I needed help on some homework and when I had arrive Odd suddenly fainted.”

“And Jeremie...?”

“He just kind of appeared?” Ulrich gave the blue eyes led boy a confused look before shaking his head. “I don’t know. He was sneaking out because something was wrong with the return to the past...?”

Yumi’s eyes widened. “Yes. Usually we get healed from the program, but it didn’t work.”

Ulrich watched her, concern and soft suspicion in his eyes. He lowered his voice to a whisper, but Yolanda was preoccupied anyway. “How do you know? What happened while we were on Lyoko?”

“Odd and I got locked in a closet. The gas that XANA possessed started to leak in and we found a mask to filter the gas. We argued over who was to wear it but he knocked me unconscious and put it on me. I woke up in English class, and I think I may have a concussion.”

“They’re nearly here!” Jeremie yelled. Yolanda glanced up as she checked his pulse.

“Please get here soon,” she murmured. “I can’t do much else.”

Ulrich breathed a sigh of relief before glancing at Yumi again. “Overexposure to the gas is what caused this?”

“Maybe.”

The door suddenly bursted open, and paramedics pushed their way inside the small room. Yolanda spoke to one as the the other two brought in a stretcher. Gently, the small boy was lifted onto the white plastic and Yumi and Ulrich watched as the started to retreat.

Odd was squirming, gasping for breath as if he was suffocating. Like a fish out of water, or a human drowning. Pained rasping filled the otherwise quiet air as they withdrew.

Yumi and Ulrich quickly followed them as they rolled the boy away, rushing to the nearest exit. Jeremie pattered behind them, his panting breath loudly, proving how out of shape he was.

They reached the outside, and the hospital clad people quickly whisked the smaller boy into the back of an ambulance. Ulrich tire ahead of them, attempting to dive into the vehicle, but was pushed back by a worker. The other was fumbling with an oxygen mask, hastily putting it over Odd.

“You can’t come,” the worker stated. “Family only.”

“His family isn’t here! We’re his family! You let me in last time!”

“I’m sorry, but he needs intense medical treatment-“

“We’re losing him!” 

The doors slammed shut, and Ulrich tried to clamber back inside. The ambulance pulled away, and Ulrich let out a frustrated scream. Jeremie looked ready to collapse, out of terror and exhaustion, and Yumi felt her head pound. They watched as the sirens blinked, the lights too bright and the shrieking of the alarms blaring as it slowly disappeared into the horizon.

“Shit,” Yumi whispered. 

 

_“He was a good person,” a voice murmured. Odd watched as Jeremie let out a cough before continuing. “He was extremely annoying, but he had a great sense of humor.”_

_The scene was blurry, white washing out the ends of his vision, clouding his sight like a breath on a window. Snow fluttered around a group of children, who were dressed in heavy winter gear. Whiteness covered everything and blurred his vision, but it was obvious that Ulrich was holding a shovel._

_“Let’s cut the bullshit,” Ulrich voice rang out. Ulrich stood next to Jeremie, angry flames burning in his eyes like a forest fire. Yumi was next to him, and they were staring at the ground. Odd couldn’t see what they were looking at._

_“We’re gathered here today because some jerk couldn’t just stay alive,” Ulrich continued. “That jerk was a total asshole with a terrible sense of humor but...”_

_He broke off, and it sounded like he was crying. He wiped at his eyes, bending over slightly as he shivered. “I’d give anything to hear him say a lame joke again. Or even those shitty puns.”_

 

Odd’s eyes fluttered open, a soft groan escaping his mouth. The sterile white lights and walls and sheets... he was back in the hospital. At this rate, he might as well live here.

He sighed more in annoyance than anything else. Another near death experience? This is starting to be bothersome.

He slid his legs off the bed, attempting to get up. Screw this. He was hungry. If he collapsed on the stairwell on his way to the cafeteria, so be it. He died on his way to finding his true love.

“Woah, woah, woah!” A voice called as he started to limp away. A hand grabbed his shoulder and he gave them an unamused look. Ulrich returned the look. “What are you doing?”

“Getting...” What time was it? It was near lunch time last he remembered. “Lunch?”

“Breakfast,” Ulrich corrected. “And let’s just stay in bed. Trust me. You need to.”  
Odd sighed as he climbed back onto the sheets, sitting up as he watched Ulrich sit next to him. “What happened?”

“What do you last remember?”

Odd squinted in concentration. “Let’s see... Yumi and I got locked in a closet by XANA, and gas filled the room and...” He frowned. “Oh. Suffocation.”

“Jeez Odd,” Ulrich said, rubbing his face. “Getting ran over, poisoning, what’s next? A building collapsing on you?”

Odd laughed weakly. “Don’t give me any ideas. But seriously, what happened while I was out?”

“Well, you fainted in the middle of geometry-“

“Yes! Finally get to skip a class I don’t like!”

“You still have homework. Anyway. Jeremie called the ambulance after we rushed you to the nurse’s office, and then they came. You kept having seizures from nearly dying of gas poisoning and we came by after getting permission from Delmas and you went into another operation.” Ulrich sighed loudly. “The seizures ripped some of the stitches for the internal damage from the car wreck and your lungs were pretty messed up.”

Odd frowned as he stared at his cast. “Yikes. I sound like a mess.”

“You are a mess. How you’re still alive is beyond me.”

“But at least I’m a fun, hot mess. Like a train wreck but with glitter.”

“How much morphine are you on?” Ulrich asked, before shaking his head. “Anyway, here’s some more bad news-“

“More?”

“Yeah. Jeremie says the return to the past is broken. That’s why you didn’t heal from the last attack. Apparently XANA was covering up the reprogramming with the gas attack.”

Odd rubbed his head. “Broken how?”

“We can still go back in time, but it can’t heal, so we’ll have to be even more careful.” Ulrich paused, licking his lips. “I have even more bad news. Jeremie isn’t sure when he’ll be able to fix the damage, even with Aelita. It could take weeks, and that’s being optimistic.”

Odd groaned as he fell backwards onto the bed, his head laying on the pillow. “Nothing is going right, huh?”

“Not really.”

“Well, I think we need to let out some _steam_ and _fuel_ up. I’m hungry.”

“Are you shitting me? Are you really making gas puns?”

“Let me guess; it’s no _laughing_ matter?”  
“We had a whole attack dedicated to laughing gas.”

“Okay, I guess you have a point, but I’m _pumped_ to give out more puns.”

“Odd!” Ulrich put his hands on his shoulders, making the hot look him in the eye. His jaw was set and clenched, eyes flashing, his expression serious. “This is serious! You nearly died twice in the last eight days! Last night I heard you screaming because of a nightmare! Odd! You’re not okay!”

“I know,” Odd stated, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. “I know.”

“Do you?” Ulrich suddenly let go, and stared into his lap. “I thought you died when you got hit by that car. I watched you flat line during the operation. They had to resuscitate you three times before you came back. You stopped breathing the middle of the second operation. I thought you died again. Yumi told me you knocked her out so you could put the mask on her. You pushed Jeremie out of the way. Odd, this isn’t Lyoko, where sacrificing yourself just means getting sent back to Earth. It means death.”

Silence filled the air as Odd tried to think of something to say. A witty comeback, a lame joke, a pun, wordplay, something, _anything_ to alleviate the stress he had been trying to avoid. Avoid the realization that his mortality was a clock ticking down like a timed bomb, and anymore of these reckless moves could be his last. Avoid the fact that his mental health was deteriorating with each vision, each reverie haunting him day and night. Avoid the deep realization that he was sacrificing himself for his friends.

Avoid the fact that he might not come back from pulling a suicide sacrifice.

Ulrich rubbed his eyes. “Listen. You’re a great friend, and while you don’t seem to want to admit this, you’re also a great person. You just need to be careful. You have a life to live too. Don’t throw it away for us.”

Odd didn’t say anything. He’d only end up lying, making empty promises and saying empty lies that wouldn’t convince either of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Puns are great, but probably not for coping with the fact you’re suidical sacrificing may get you killed and that your mortality isn’t as indestructible as you thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odd looks back on his vision, Jeremie is socially awkward, and Ulrich is a good but tired friend.

Jeremie tapped away on the computer, the clicking of keys the only sound in the otherwise silence. Odd occasionally glanced up to watch him while worked, choosing the least boring option when compared to finishing homework. 

Aelita had visited an hour earlier, leaving behind a bouquet of violets. It made the room feel less sterile, less caging, and more like he was back at home. Or at least back in his dorm with Ulrich (which was more of his home than Italy, he had slowly come to realise but wouldn’t admit). They smelled pleasantly, and were his favorite color too.

Jeremie was sifting through digital files he had recovered from the supercomputer, having arrived here with Aelita. Odd wasn’t really sure why he was here. He had always preferred to work at the factory with the actual supercomputer.

He tried to strike up a conversation a few times, but Jeremie seemed intent on working. Whatever. With how dreary the mood had become since he and Ulrich had that ‘serious talk’, it felt like a funeral in this cramped room.

The pencil in Odd’s hand snapped in half, and fell to the floor. That was it.

His funeral.

_“He was a good person,” a voice murmured. Odd watched as Jeremie let out a cough before continuing. “He was extremely annoying, but he had a great sense of humor.”_

_The scene was blurry, white washing out the ends of his vision, clouding his sight like a breath on a window. Snow fluttered around a group of children, who were dressed in heavy winter gear. Whiteness covered everything, but it was obvious Ulrich was holding a shovel._

_“Let’s cut the bullshit,” Ulrich voice rang out. Ulrich stood next to Jeremie, angry flames burning in his eyes like a forest fire. Yumi was next to him, and theit heads tilted slightly to face the ground. Odd couldn’t see what they were looking at._

_“We’re gathered here today because some jerk couldn’t just stay alive,” Ulrich continued. “That jerk was a total asshole with a terrible sense of humor but...”_

_He broke off, and it sounded like he was crying. He wiped at his eyes, bending over slightly as he shivered. “I’d give anything to hear a joke again. Even those shitty puns.”_

 

Odd felt as if he was hyperventilating, unable to fill his lungs with enough air, the world suddenly depleted of that sacred necessity. Dear lord, he just attended his own funeral in a spiritual sense. What the hell?

He stared blankly at his homework. How far into the future was that? So far his visions had been at most a week in the future. But did that mean Odd was going to die soon? Funerals happen about a week after someone’s death, right?

If he died today, then his assumption of using the timeline of his visions was accurate. But then he’d be too dead to actually care that he was right.

And he wasn’t going to die today. He was recovering at a steady pace, feeling much better; still felt like shit, but he didn’t need the painkillers anymore. He was recuperating. He was fine.

Besides, his parents weren’t there. They couldn’t miss their own sons funeral, right? They couldn’t possibly be that terrible or that busy, right? Not even one sister out of five? Pauline? Elizabeth? The twins? Someone?

No one else had attended except for Yumi, Jeremie, and Ulrich. He was pretty confident he saw Aelita with the group; it was difficult to miss the bright pink of her hair and wardrobe. That was it? If that was really his funeral, that’s just... really lame. And really sad.

Wow.

 

Jeremie glanced up when he heard the snap. Odd was staring blankly at the also blank sheet of geometry homework, the two pieces of pencil rolling on to the floor. It was deafening, the quiet stillness of the room, and Jeremie was becoming concerned. It wasn’t like Odd to be this quiet. What was he thinking about?

“Odd? You alright?” He needed to finish coding, but Odd had saved his life. It wouldn’t kill him to show that he worried..

The fellow blond snapped his head up to look at Jeremie. His eyes bore into his, cerulean blue meeting those strangely chatoyant eyes. “If I died, so you think a lot of people would show up at my funeral?”

“You’re not going to die,” Jeremie immediately said. He was analyzing the smaller boy now; this wasn’t like him.

“Not the point Einstein.” Odd wrung his hands. Was he actually nervous? “Just answer. Do you think a lot of people would attend or not?”

“Well...” Jeremie didn’t know how to answer. Socializing was hard enough, but now they were getting into Deep Shit. Does he comfort? Does he tell the truth? What are you even supposed to say?

Odd frowned as Jeremie took too long to respond. He looked down at his lap, a soft, unreadable look crossing his face. “Never mind. It’s a stupid question.”

“No, I just wasn’t prepared for it. Um. I think it’d probably be rather large. You do know a lot of people.” Jeremie watched for his reaction, hoping he gave the right response. 

Odd shook his head, not satisfied, and stared at the remnants of the pencil. “I guess.”

 

Ulrich sighed as he entered the room. Jeremie was back at Kadic, still working on the files from the supercomputer, and Aelita was helping the young genius. Yumi was home, babysitting Haruki, and Ulrich was here, having slipped out past curfew. He couldn’t sleep, anyway.

Odd was passed out on the bed, his ragged breathing echoing in the sterile room. Ulrich sat on the chair next to him and soaked in the damage once again.

He didn’t think the blond could look any rougher than the night of the accident, but somehow he still managed to surprise him. Bruises cling to nearly every inch of his skin, slithering up like vines of ivy. There was large scrapes on his legs and deep scratches everywhere, including one on his face. Stitches were on his forehead and multiple other places, barely visible but Ulrich knew where to look.

He was still pole thin, bones practically visible, his rib cage jutting out. His arm was slung into a new cast, still purple but more lavender this time. Ulrich shuddered.

It reminded him of when he found him on the street a week ago, laying deathly still, blood running down his face. When he had rolled him over and saw his broken arm, with white bone peeking out from under his flesh and blood. He shook his head at the memory.

He wasn’t svelte anymore; he was scrawny, and sickly. He was even paler than before due to even more blood loss. His had gauze rapped around most of his torso, and because of the way he was sleeping, he could see gauze stuck on his back as well. More bruises bloomed on the back, and Ulrich gave another deep sigh.

He just hoped there would be no more XANA attacks for a while. But if there was, he's going to make sure Odd is staying out of the way. 

Suddenly, Odd turned on his back, letting out a soft hiss of pain. Ulrich didn’t blame him; the doctors finally took him off of the painkillers today, so the brunt of the wicked injuries were finally catching up to him.

He shifted about, murmuring softly as he started to toss about. It was weird not hearing him snore. He’s as too quiet, and while it was clear that he was still alive from the way he was thrashing, it still unnerved him.

Ulrich leaned over him and brushed the hair out of his face. It was matter, and he wished it was back in his normally strange pointed shape to render the situation at least slightly normal. “Hey, calm down. Just a dream, buddy.” 

His awkward attempt at reassuring didn’t seem to help. Odd continued to murmur, more frantic, his eyes squinting as his brows furrowed. Ulrich hesitated before placing a hand on his shoulder, slightly shaking his thin body.

His thrashing worsened, and Ulrich panicked as Odd’s pain seemed to increase. He hissed quietly, his legs kicking about. His arms started to rake up and down his stomach, scratching himself and threatening to tear off the gauze. Ulrich blanched.

“Hey Wait- don’t do that!” He grabbed the boy’s arms, trying to get him to stop. His scratching had reopened a few wounds, and he still writhed around in his grasp.

“XANA!” Odd screamed, eyes open wing for a split second, just long enough for Ulrich to see his pupils becoming slits. Like a cats.

He suddenly went limp. It was like he had been a puppet, a little marionette, who’s strings were the only things supporting him, but had finally snapped and collapsed in on himself. His limbs drooped and Ulrich nearly dropped them out of surprise.

It wasn’t until a few seconds later did he  
recognize the beeping and whirling of alarms. He swivelled to face the monitors and shrieked. He was flatlining.

He reached for the buzzer and pressed it, jamming his finger repeatedly, trying to alert the doctors. He shouldn’t actually be here, sneaking out past curfew, and he slightly regretted doing so. He could not watch his friend die. His stomach performed cartwheels at the thought.

The door opened as doctors rushed inside, pushing him back. He watched as they crowded around him, one pushing a cart and the others standing by. The leading doctor grabbed the defibrillator, rubbing it together.

“Clear!” He yelled as he slammed the paddles into his chest. The Odd’s molted back arched as electricity shuddered through him. “Up the power!”

The nurse nodded and fiddled with the machine. The doctor rubbed the paddles together again. The alarm still blared, shrieking like a banshee. “Clear!”

The monitor didn’t stop screaming. Ulrich felt ready to cry once again and mimic the machine in screeching. The buzzing in his pocket alerted him, but he didn’t care. XANA attack or not, he needed to make sure his friend was okay.

“Clear!”

The electricity crackled once again, and Odd laid there, motionless, his lips a soft blue. The doctors glanced around before one of them started chest compressions, pounding on his small chest and trying to pump his heart.

“Stay alive kid, c’mon.”

Ulrich felt his heart leap as he watched the doctor start to pound harder. He was becoming frantic. He was losing his patient. Ulrich was watching his friend die.

Suddenly, the alarm stopped, and a quiet, steady beeping was heard. The doctors cheered and Ulrich felt ready to collapse out of sheer relief. The doctors slowly started to file out of the room, but Ulrich stopped one of the doctors. He needed an explanation. 

“What happened? Why did his heart stop?”

The doctor glanced around, looking uneasy. “From what I can tell, his brain suddenly shut off. Activity ceased, so his heart stopped in response. It was like his brain was a battery, and had spent all its energy. So the brain stopped producing like an eroded battery, and because the heart is apart of the circuit, it turned off.”

Ulrich’s mind buzzed with questions. “What was syphoning the energy?”

“We don’t know. We’re going to be looking into that.” He sighed. “He’ll get better. I’m certain.”

Ulrich frowned as the doctor left, and he tuned back to the small boy. He rushed over, eyes darting across every inch of the prone boy. He was deathly still, his breathing shallow, and heartbeat seemed weak. He checked his pulse. There, but soft.

He frowned as he felt his phone buzz again. Dropping Odd’s hand, he reached into his pocket, tempted to just turn it off. The texts were from Jeremie. The first one read: _XANA activated the tower! Go to factory!”_

The second one read: _No news on the attack! Get here ASAP! We need your help!_

Ulrich stared at his phone, eyes focusing on the time stamp. Odd had just whispered XANA when his phone went off, right after he went into cardiac arrest. Coincidence?

Future flash ran through his mind before immediately dismissed. The old ability couldn’t possibly be the culprit. The program got deleted months ago by Jeremie. And powers from Lyoko can’t appear in real life. That’s impossible.

He clenched his phone as he looked back at the blond. The phone on the table next to him was lit up with new messages. Jeremie must have texted Odd out of habit.

With one Lyoko Warrior down, they needed all the help they could get. He couldn’t abandon them. He needed to leave.

He kicked the ground, not bothering to look back at his friend. The image of his pasty skin and peaceful expression was seared into his brain. He quietly left the room, trying to hurry, long strides matching his need for speed.

XANA was going to pay. Big time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I’ll try to update every two days. Sound good?  
> Odd’s more worried about the fact that no one showed up for his funeral than the fact he’s dead.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lyoko is a mess, Aelita is worried, Jeremie is terrified, Yumi is concerned, Odd is also a mess, and Ulrich is just done.

_“So,” Aelita murmured, her apple green eyes trained on the cat boy next to her. “We still don’t know what XANA plans to do with all that energy?”_

_“Jeremie ought to know, but he’s been awfully quiet,” Odd said, glancing up at the sky as he spoke. They were running, Aelita and Odd, dashing in what they hoped was the right direction toward the tower._

_They jumped over a floating platform, the purple ground of the mountain section disappearing momentarily. Jagged rocks and sharp cliffs jutted out at every surface as they ran past._

_“Jeremie!” Aelita yelled, eyes glancing up at the sky. “Are you there?”_

_Silence filled the air. Odd hated it._

_Odd turned to try and talk to the sky, and that’s when he saw them. Too late._

_Because Jeremie hadn’t been there to warn them and because they had been distracted, a single wasp appeared, it’s buzzing signifying that it’s charging up to fire. Aelita’s eyes widened as she tried to dodge, but it was too late._

_The sound of firing echoed in the air as a red beam hit her straight in the heart. She tumbled backwards, falling off the platform of the mountain section. Into the digital sea._

_“Aelita!” Odd screamed. He ran toward the edge, watching as the pink blur continued to fall._

 

Odd’s eyes snapped open, his heart fluttering as his jumbled thoughts registered in his head. There was an attack. He needed to go. He needed to save Aelita.

Without hesitance, he ripped an IV from his his arm, sliding his legs over the edge of his bed. His jelly legs shook as he tried to gain balance, his head throbbing with the sudden movement causing his vision to swerve like a camera completing a panorama.

Slightly disoriented, he left his white room, quietly shoving the door out of the way, his bare feet pattering against the cold white floor. Sweat dropped down his face, his hair clinging to his forehead as he ran. His breathing was labored, his lungs burning as he rushed toward the end of the halls, stomach churning as his movements were forced to be faster.

Because it was night, not many doctors were nearby. They were preoccupied with busy work or going home. A few patients watched him through their rooms, eyeing him as he sprinted past, his body swaying and swerving because of his little control. He felt numb.

He slid down the next hall, trying to figure out the exit. He didn’t actually know the layout of the hospital. He nearly toppled over from lack of balance, but continued onward.

His eyes spotted Ulrich’s retreating back, slowly moving toward a set of doors. Stairs? Elevator? He couldn’t tell from this far away, his vision too blurry to see, but it didn’t matter.

“Wait!” He called, and the brunet’s head snapped up in his direction. Ulrich’s eyes widened, before flashing in annoyance and soft concern.

“Odd, go back to bed.” A pause. “What are you even doing up?”

“XANA’s attacking!” Odd screamed, his voice hoarse from running so it came out as a whisper. “He’s attacking and Aelita is going to die and I need you to let me go with you!”

Ulrich stared at him, his eyes squinted in confusion. “Odd, you’re in no condition to-“

Odd slammed his hand on the elevator button, heaving breaths as he became desperate. He had to go. He had to prevent Aelita from falling into the digital sea. “Let me come as back up. In case you guys get divirtualized. Please, let me come just in case.”

Ulrich stared at him, an unreadable expression on his face. A ding resonated throughout the halls, and the doors slowly slid open. He glanced between the elevator and Odd, before closing his eyes as he walked inside the small confinement. He looked like a he was suffering from a headache.

“I’m going to regret this but let’s go.”

Odd’s eyes lit up. “Thanks.”

 

Jeremie was panicking now, and rightly so. He figured out what XANA’s attack was. Yumi stood next to him, panic in her eyes as they watched the screen. His hands fidgeted on his phone. Ulrich hadn’t been responding, which was only feeling his anxiety about the situation. What was taking him so long? Where was he? 

They really needed him. Yumi has just been devirtualized, and Aelita can’t go alone. Odd was out of commission. Ulrich needed to get here, quick. 

The doors to the computer room slowly slid open, reluctance and age evident in their squeaking, and he swiveled to face two boys instead of the anticipated one. Ulrich stood, seemingly waiting for something, and Odd leaned on the wall, looking worn and barely pulled together. 

Jeremie didn’t have time to argue with Odd’s appearance. In fact, he might be useful. They needed to shut this down. Quick. “Head to the scanner rooms. Both of you. We need to stop XANA. I’ll explain the attack once you’re virtualized.”

Ulrich looked ready to argue, lifting up his finger and opening his mouth. Odd grinned as he quite literally punched the button, causing the doors to close. Jeremie watched as annoyance flittered in Ulrich’s expression before the doors shut all the way.

He eyed the open tab before creating a new one, and started typing. 

“I can’t believe this,” Yumi stated, reminding the blond of her presence. “It’s such a simple plan?”

Jeremie nodded absently. “It really is. I’m surprised it hasn’t been used before. I think he gave up on trying to kill us and decided to focus on powering up.”

He stopped speaking, the coding on the screen matching what he needed. His glasses flashed as the lighting bounced off. “Scanner: Ulrich. Scanner: Odd. Virtualisation.”

His eyes widened as red exclamation points lit up the screen. Something went wrong with Odd’s virtualisation.

“Odd! Odd!? Can you hear me?!”  
Static crackled in the earphones, and no response was heard. Jeremie bent over the keyboard, typing rapidly as lines of coding popped up on the screen. He could feel Yumi’s fearful gaze on his back, and quickened his pace. Clicks filled the room as he tried to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly, he slammed his hands on the table, anger washing over him. “XANA’s locked me out of the supercomputer! He’s bypassed my security codes?” 

“What does that mean?” Yumi asked cautiously, her eyes trained on Jeremie.

“I can’t communicate with them. I can’t do anything. XANA’s completely shut me out from the comms and Lyoko. I have to hack through his coding but he has so many fire walls.” Jeremie rubbed his temples. None of this was good. If he can’t communicate to the team, XANA might attack with surprises, and take them off guard, and steal Aelita’s memories... “It means that they’re on their own. It means I don’t know what’s happening.”

Jeremie stared back at the screen, the exclamation marks blinking in increasing alarm. He couldn’t do anything about it. He had to wait until Aelita shut down the tower.

If.

 

Odd materialized seconds after Ulrich, landing on his haunches in a cat like fashion. His vision blurred and a dizzy spell washed over him, causing the feline boy to sway as he steadied himself. What was that?

“The Tower is east of here,” Aelita chirped, pointing at the direction. Ulrich nodded, probably having asked about it; Odd didn’t know. 

“What devirtualized Yumi if you aren’t even at the tower?”

“A stray tarantula. She was able to get rid of it but it took her off guard.”

“I guess we should head out,” Ulrich said, glancing at the horizon. Odd nodded.

“Yeah. Time to kick butt and stop XANA.”  
The trio nodded in agreement, and took off in the aforementioned direction. Odd ran like a cat, all four limbs slapping against the purple ground of the mountain section. Why was the ground purple? Mountains aren’t purple... are they?

“Do you know what the attack is?” Ulrich finally asked, breaking the silence. Odd tilted his head, watching as Aelita sighed.

“Jeremie mentioned that XANA has taken control of the nuclear power plant. He’s taking the electricity and storing the power.”

“Why?” Odd questioned. “What could XANA use all the electricity for?”

“I assume it’s to power up. It gives him more energy for attacks.”

“Like how the return to the pasts do?”

“I think so. But I’m not sure. What kind of attack requires that much electricity?”

Odd skidded to a stop as they rounded a corner, avoiding a large boulder that jutted out. Two krabs stood like guard dogs, and the tower was looming on the horizon. Ulrich unsheathed his sword, swinging it around before stopping in a pose. He glanced at the two teens before flicking his head in the direction of the tower.

“You guys go ahead. I’ll take the krabs. Get Aelita to the tower!”

Odd nodded, grabbing Aelita’s wrist as he dragged her away. The two sprinted across the purple terrain, hoping to make it to the tower on time. Jumping over two platforms, they watched as the tower slowly grew as they wandered closer towards it.

Odd frowned as he glanced around. The formations of small mountains and boulders looked familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Déjà vu started to strike again, and he didn’t bother to ignore it. What was-

A soft buzzing hit his ear. Odd’s eyes widened in realization. 

They jumped over another platform, landing near the edge, teetering slightly. Aelita opened her mouth to speak, and Odd knew exactly what she was about to say. “So, we still don’t know what XANA plans to do with all that energy?”

They continued running, and Odd could feel fatigue settling over his bones. It unsettled him to no end; you’re not supposed to be able to feel in Lyoko. Any grunt of pain, or scream, or gingerly rubbing when hit was a reflex, was an automatic response was ingrained from the real world.

He darted his eyes about, scanning for the monster he knew would appear. He pushed Aelita away from the edge wordlessly, ignoring Aelita’s confused cries. Where was it? He heard it earlier. Where was it?

The sound of something charging hit his strange cat ears, twitching as they swiveled around. There!

A wasp flew to his left, about to fire. Odd grinned as he glanced over at Aelita, who had stopped running when Odd had suddenly pulled away to listen. The sound of firing sliced through the air as Odd pounced over, shoving Aelita into the ground. 

The red beam struck him in the hip, and a familiar white hot pain courses up his veins. He collapsed onto the ground, the dizziness from earlier washing over him like waves on the shoreline of Italy. He could hear muffled cries of concern from Aelita, but he ignored them.

Painfully, he raised his hand and shot off three arrows, hoping at least one would hit its mark through his hazy vision. The arrows swirled in through air, and he gave a soft smirk when one struck the flying monster, his hand dropping limply back to his side.

“Aelita!” Odd rasped. “Go on ahead!”

“Odd, I-“

“Deactivate the tower. Jeremie can do a return to the past and I’ll be fine. Just go.”

Aelita hesitated, and Odd knew she was thinking of the broken return to the past. It can’t heal anymore. She stared at him with fear and worry and multiple other emotions he couldn’t quite identify. He glanced away, back toward the direction of Ulrich and the krabs, wondering if he was divirtualized or not.

“Hurry. Wasps usually come in packs of three. I don’t know where the others are.”

Aelita looked ready to argue before closing her mouth. With a frown, she nodded, and turned away to run off. 

The tower was thankfully closer now, and he watched her retreating figure melt into the horizon, into the white tower. He laid his head on the ground, the pain in his side shrieking at him as it spread throughout his lithe body.

He drifted off as his blurry vision slowly faded to white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Aelita. I’ve kind of forgotten about her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team attempts a convention and team up against Odd, and Jeremie finds something discerning while Odd has another’s vision. Ulrich is just tired and sick of all these mysteries.

Jeremie sighed as he stared at the screen, lines of code fluttering across and bleeding into his tired, coffee craving soul. The electricity was returned back to the power plant. XANA’s tower was deactivated.

“Jeremie,” Aelita’s voice sung. “I think you ought to devirtualize Odd. Something happened to him.”

Millions of situations entered his mind in jumbled thoughts as he listened to her words, edged in tight concern. Yumi’s grip on the back of his chair tightened, her knuckles turning paper white. Ulrich released a loud sigh, leaning against the super computer in exasperation as an attempt to hide his fear.

“I knew Odd was in no condition to fight-“

“Yes, yes,” Jeremie swatted away his words like flies. XANA’s control over the supercomputer was gone now that the tower was deactivated, which Jeremie was immensely grateful for. “Not the best idea, but we did shut down the tower thanks to him.”

Ulrich remained quiet, pensive. Jeremie’s fingers flew across the keys with practiced grace as he started up the process. The exclamation points had him on edge all throughout those moments leading up to Aelita’s emergence in the tower. What was the problem?

He pressed his final key and was about to relax when more screens popped up like ads. The blaring points angrily flickered and he rubbed his temples. “Aelita, can you move Odd inside the tower? I’ll devirtualize you momentarily once I fix a few of these... bugs.”

“Sure thing.”

“What’s the matter?” Yumi asked, bending over to peer at the screen. Binary code reflected in her earthy eyes as she tried to soak it in. “Why can’t we devirtualize Odd?”

“I don’t know. His injuries may be tampering with some of the programs.” 

“He’s inside the tower Jeremie. I don’t think he’s conscious.”

“Thanks Aelita. I’ll devirtualize you and see if I can’t use the same process on Odd.

Jeremie’s eyes darted about the screen, his fingers perched back on the keyboard as he typed up Aelita’s sequence. “Code: Earth.”

He left the program to get back to the predicament at hand. The exclamation points must be a clue to something, but he needed to get Odd out of there first. If he was unconscious... 

He shook his head and typed a few more lines of code. “Code: Earth.”

Ulrich left his spot from the computer, squealing springs squeaking as he removed his weight. Rubbing his hand through his hair, he dragged himself to the elevator. “I’ll go check on the two.”

Jeremie stared at his retreating back, uncertainty in his chest. Yumi and him shared a quick look before the blond looked back at the pop ups. He might as well figure out what they mean if they caused Odd’s relapse.

 

Ulrich appeared in the scanner room shortly after leaving, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He frowned as he noticed Aelita’s pink hair bobbing out of view and followed her to the center scanner.

Odd was crumpled up against the metal pillar, curled into a ball of thin pale limbs, with Aelita sitting beside him. She was placing her hand across his forehead and frowning, her brilliantly shining eyes squinted in concentration. She glanced up at Ulrich and shifted into sitting on her knees.

“He’s out. Cold.” She hesitated, before sighing softly. “Has Odd been acting weird to you lately?”

“He’s always weird.” Ulrich crossed his legs as he sat next to the girl. Of course he knew what she meant. “But yeah. Why do you ask?”

“Does it seem like he knows things we don’t?”

“What are you implying?”

“He knew Jeremie was going to be hit by the car before we did. He seemed to know the wasps on Lyoko were going to attack before I did, and I was there with him. What else does he know?”

Ulrich shuffled under her gaze. When he was asleep, he had shouted XANA before Jeremie warned him of the attack. Aelita was right. Odd knew more than he was letting on. What was going on?

“This is really stupid,” Aelita continued, her apple green eyes staring at Odd’s pale face. It was contorted in slight fear, and dark rings that rivalled Saturn’s hung around his eyes. “But all I can think about is that old ability he used to have. Future Flash.”

“It was deleted,” Ulrich argued. “Remember? Jeremie made a big fuss about it being a risk and not an asset and deleted it when we reset the supercomputer. Odd was kind of angry since Jeremie didn’t even consult him. And even if he did still have it, powers cant manifest outside of Lyoko.”

“I know.” She gazed sadly up at Ulrich. “Still. It reminds me of those days.”

 

_Soft sobbing hit his ears as he glanced around, trying to understand his surroundings. Yumi was leaning over someone, her face full of horror, her almond eyes blown wide._

_They were next to the school, he figured. The west wing, near the science hall. However, he could feel the green grass under his bare feet and the sun’s rays beat down on him. They were outside._

_He tip toed closer, afraid of what he was to see._

_Yumi was shaking a body clothed in an all to familiar green. A small trickle of tears were pouring out of her face. “Wake up you idiot!”_

_Odd’s stomach churned as he looked at the face. Ulrich was laying there, deathly still, blood shimmering down his face, his arm bent at an unnatural angle._

_A strangled cry met his ears. He glanced up to see himself on the top of the roof, and it was a strange sensation. His was screaming, his hair flat like before Lyoko, his eyes gleaming in terror, his mouth agape._

_“Get to the factory!” He had shouted. “I’ll take care of the specter! Get to the factory!” He hiccuped and tears were falling down his face, his voice rising in urgency as he repeated, “Yumi! Leave!”_

_Yumi hovered over Ulrich, uncertainty etched in her face. Odd rubbed his eyes as he frantically waved his other hand. “Ishiyama! Go!”_

_She hesitated. Then she finally turned her back toward the two boys, one dead and one barely alive. And she fled._

 

Ulrich glanced over at Aelita, who seemed content sitting in silence. Strained gasps suddenly rang out, and Ulrich’s eyes darted to the blond boy. His eyes fluttered open and his mouth opened like a fish’s, gasping for the all important oxygen as his back arched.

Aelita hovered over him, gripping the boy’s shoulders. “I need you to calm down. Breathe Odd. Follow me. In and out. In and out.”

Aelita stressed her breathing, making deep huffs of air as her chest rose and fell. Odd remained silent, and slowly started to follow her lead. After a few moments, Odd’s breathing evened out, and he leaned against the scanner, his eyes tired.

“What the hell Odd?” Ulrich finally asked. Probably not the best choice of words, and they weren’t really what he wanted to say, but they did fit. 

“Are you okay?” Aelita asked, shooting Ulrich a stern look.

“Yeah,” Odd answered back, his voice hoarse. “Just winded.”

“Good. Now, what the hell Odd?” Aelita stared at the blond with an intensity that made hims squirm. “This is the second time you’ve passed out after one hit on Lyoko, and the second time you seemed to know life saving knowledge like with Jeremie and now that wasp. What’s going on?”

Odd opened and closed his lips, his eyes darting about as if he was looking for something to save him. “I-“

The elevator doors opened and Jeremie appeared, practically skidding out of the small shaft and into a scanner. He readjusted his glasses before making his way to the group, Yumi hit on his tail.

“Odd! Get back in the scanner!”

Odd hesitated, glancing around once again, this time in confusion. “What?”

“I need you to get back in the scanner so I can run a program. I think I figured out what the problem is!”

“What problem?” Ulrich asked. What the hell was Jeremie talking about?

“Something went wrong with his virtualisation! I thought it was some sort of bug but I don’t think so now!”

“Wait!” Aelita argued. “I want answers first! Odd, what’s going on?”

“Answers?” Yumi repeated. 

“What’s the matter?” Jeremie inquired.

“That’s what I’m trying to find out!”

“Uh.” Odd was rubbing his head. “Can you guys stop shouting? You’re giving me a headache.”

Aelita turned her neck so fast Ulrich feared whiplash. “Odd! Answer my question. What’s been going on?”

“The program-“ Jeremie hissed.

Odd put his hands up in surrender. “I think the bigger problem here is the virtualization. Ill pop in the scanner, Jeremie can figure out what the bug was or whatever, and then we’ll talk. Okay?”

Aelita hesitated, her apple eyes squinting at the purple clad boy. She pinched the bridge of her nose before sighing dejectedly. “Fine. But you better keep your word.”

“Of course, Princess.”

Jeremie stared at the group, his bespectacled eyes portraying bemusement. “I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s go back into the computer room. I’d like to have a few sets of fresh eyes with me.”

Ulrich glanced over at Odd, who was shimmying up the scanner, holding on for balance. He sighed softly and offered his hand, which he accepted. After pulling him up, Jeremie lead Aelita away and Yumi watched with a soft expression.

“Are you going to be okay?” She asked quietly, her voice low. Odd nodded and flashed a cheery smile.

“I’m at the peak of my health.”

“I certainly hope not.” Ulrich gave him an unamused look. “Broken rib, arm, head injury, seizures, and how many stitches do you have again?”

Odd’s smile faltered. “Okay, so I’ve been better. But I’m fine. Now shoo before Jeremie yells at you.”

 

The team settled around Jeremie’s chair, Aelita in the right and Yumi and Ulrich crowded on his left. Jeremie’s fingers scurried about the keyboard, soft clicks echoing in the large room as they waited in anticipation.

After one final fluid motion, Jeremie pressed the last key. Odd’s card that pictures his Lyoko avatar appeared on screen as well as a full body image of him. He slowly was colored grey as the program loaded, and Jeremie seemed to be in the edge of his seat.

A green icon popped up as the scan was completed. Jeremie shared a weary look with Aelita before clicking on a tab. They all unconsciously sucked in their breaths, the anticipation building up to an extreme.

“Oh shit,” Jeremie said as his eyes widened, absorbing in the senseless coding. Aelita placed a hand over her mouth, a soft gasp escaping her lips.

“What? What’s happening?” Ulrich demanded.

Jeremie’s glasses flashed, making his eyes disappear as the lenses illuminated. He hesitated before responding. “Odd’s DNA has been altered. There’s a large data change between the first jump and now.”

“What’s the problem?” Yumi stressed.

“There’s something wrong with his brain,” Jeremie amended. Ulrich bit back a smart remark. “A neurological problem? I don’t quite understand what it is, but it’s eating away Odd’s energy and consuming parts of his brain.”

“It’s like a parasite,” Aelita added. “A leech. It’s located near the visual and audio senses.”

“A virus?” Yumi asked.

“Hold on.” Ulrich rubbed his forehead. 

“What does this mean? How do we get rid of it? What if we don’t?”

Jeremie fiddled with his thumbs and cleared his throat. “I don’t know. I assume that if we can’t find a solution, the parasite will consume his entire brain.”

“And? What happens then?”

“There’s a variety of outcomes since I have so little data. It could result in minor changes, like a slight alteration of his personality, to hallucinations, to losing senses, to the shut down limbs or of bodily organs, or even...”

He trailed off, his fingers going still and his posture slouching slightly. Aelita stared at the ground, the horrified look on her face as omnipresent as the danger that seemed to constantly threatene the tired teens.

“Or what?” Yumi finally whispered.

Jeremie gave her a tired look. “Death.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odd’s possibly dying, Ulrich seems to be dead in the future, Jeremie just wants some coffee, Aelita is sick of all this bullshit, and Yumi wants some answers.
> 
> Sound right?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team corners Odd into spilling, and they argue over what to do.

“Huh.” Odd gave them a blank face. “That sucks.”

“Odd, you have some sort of parasite in your brain which is controlling your audio and visual sense and is slowly consuming other parts of your mind. You’re most likely going to die. Do you understand that?” Jeremie gave the boy a good once over, wondering just how bad those head injuries were.

“Yep.” Odd nodded. 

“And you’re only response is ‘That sucks’?” Jeremie repeated.

“Well, it does,” Odd pointed out. “What do you want me to say? Darn? Shucks? Shit? Damn?”

“At least sound a little more concerned,” Ulrich said, crossing his arms.

They were still in the computer room, crowded together with Odd standing in front of them. He looked tired, and swayed softly. They had just finished explaining the situation to the small blond.

“I don’t want to die,” Odd answered back, his voice soft. “But is there really anything we can do? Do we have any causes? What are the effects?”

Jeremie adjusted his glasses as he exchanged an uneasy glance with Aelita, who responded with, “We think the supercomputer is what caused the virus. We don’t know the effects; it could range from hallucinations to the loss of functions in your limbs or organs.”

Odd gave a low whistle. “That really does suck”

Yumi hesitated before tucking her hair behind her ear. “This is pretty unsettling. If the supercomputer provoked the virus in Odd, who’s to say that it can’t infect Ulrich or I, or even Aelita?”

Aelita frowned. “That’s a good point Yumi.”

“But if XANA attacks, we have to go in Lyoko,” Ulrich argued. “We can’t not go or Aelita could get kidnapped and XANA takes her memories... and shit happens.”

Odd waved his hand like he was swatting a fly. “Compromise. Don’t go in Lyoko unless strictly necessary and don’t dawdle around after the attack’s over with.”

Jeremie closed his eyes, slouching in his chair. “We’re not even sure the supercomputer actually caused it.”

“What else could alter someone’s DNA?” Yumi shook her head. “What else could implant a virus. Maybe this was XANA.”

“Impossible. He needs a tower to be activated to attack,” Aelita argues. “A tower isn’t activated.”

“There was a tower activated a few weeks ago. XANA shut it down before we could even get there though... Maybe he launched his attack then.”

“If he deactivated the tower, then his connection to the real world would be cut off. He couldn’t do this.”

Aelita turned to face Odd, her eyes roaming the boy before settling on his eyes. Ulrich noticed Odd’s chatoyant orbs dart away as she attempted eye contact. “Odd! Remember when I said you have to tell me how you know all those things that happened before they happened? I think now is the time for you to explain yourself.”

Odd rubbed the back of his neck, looking around wildly for something to save him. When no one stepped up, he sighed in defeat. “Fine. I’ve been having... visions. They started a few weeks ago, I’m not sure when. At first, I thought they were just nightmares, and they were really jumbled and blurry at first. I couldn’t make anything out of them. But they slowly became more and more clearer, and I could start to make out a few faces, maybe a voice, and it started to feel more real.” 

He took a deep breath. “The first time I really saw everything, was able to recognise features and people and voices and be able to recall the information was the day I got hit by that car.”

Jeremie’s eyes widened and he leaned forward. He seemed eager to learn more. Ulrich watched as Odd fidgeted under his even more watchful eyes.

“I had the vision when after I got hit on Lyoko that day. I think the virus must have caused the weird passing out. I had just dreamed of Jeremie getting hit by that car in the rain. I didn’t realise it came true. And after that, I’ve had more. I knew we were going to be locked in a closet during XANA’s gas attack and that’s how I knew you were going to get hit by wasps and get pushed into the digital sea. So far, all of my visions have come true.” 

Jeremie blinked, Yumi shifted her weight, and Aelita looked stunned. Ulrich felt his mouth open and close, like he was a fish suffocating. They all stared at the smaller blond, uncertainty and concern obvious in their expressions.

 

Odd was shaking slightly. The last sentence had been a small lie. His funeral hadn’t come true and neither had Ulrich’s seemingly death. Yet.

“That sounds like...” Yumi’s voice trailed off, her eyes traine down the floor.

“Future Flash.” The words slipped off of Ulrich’s mouth, and Jeremie straightened his back.

“Don’t even suggest it. The program was deleted months ago. And powers can’t manifest outside of Lyoko. We all know this.”

“But it fits!” Odd argued. “I have these visions at random times, sometimes when I’m asleep and others in the middle of class. It feels the exact same as having a Future Flash. I’m even predicting the future!”

“Odd, this is...” Aelita rubbed her eyes. “This is impossible.”

“Maybe the virus is like mutated coding from the Future Flash program,” Yumi suggested. Odd pointed at her, nodding his head.

“Yeah! What she said!”

“We don’t have any evidence that that’s the case,” Jeremie reprimanded. His glasses flashed in the light, hiding the familiar disapproving blue steel.

“We don’t have any evidence against it,” Ulrich carefully said, his posture stiff and his face expressing obvious uncertainty.

Jeremie shook his head. “This whole situation is quite preposterous.”

“Well, so is fighting a corrupted, sentient virus bent on world domination and our demise,” Aelita counters. “So it’s really up our alley.”

Jeremie rubbed his face, obviously tired and dubious, but instead looked at each warrior. “Whatever. Aelita and I will look over the information regarding the parasite and see where it leads to. We’ll hold off on fixing the return to the past. Don’t do anything reckless since we don’t have any lenience still.” He was looking directly at Odd.

The lithe boy gave a cheery smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Einstein.”

The genius rolled his eyes. “In the meantime, I suggest you all get a good nights rest. There’s nothing much for you to do here.”

Yumi nodded. “I better get going. I don’t want my parents to notice I slipped out.”

“I’ll take Odd back to the hospital,” Ulrich volunteered. 

“I can get back myself,” Odd argued. The team gave him a disapproving stare.

“Odd, you can barely stand.”

“You’re in no condition to walk alone. What if you pass out on the way there? What then?”

“You nearly collapsed running down the hallway. How are you going to get to the hospital?”

Odd put his hands up, surrendering. “Fine, fine! Ulrich and I will leave together!”

Ulrich grabbed his shoulder, adding a small amount of stability to his decreasing balance. “Damn right we will. We should probably be going right now. We’ve been gone for a while and the hospital is going to flip it’s shit if it finds out you disappeared.”

Odd rolled his eyes. “I guess.”

 

The two boys walked slowly, Ulrich trying to keep Odd’s rather sluggish pace. He was dragging his feet and looked exhausted, and Ulrich was immensely glad they were heading back. He kept a watchful eye on the blond, scolding himself for acting like he was a fragile piece of glass, but not caring enough to stop.

“Have you had any other visions?” Ulrich finally asked. It was unnerving to be surrounded by silence in the presence of the normally exuberant blond. 

Odd’s eyes were focused on the ground, most likely to keep himself from tripping. He didn’t respond for a while, just stared at his feet, body swaying slightly. 

“Odd?” Ulrich tried again, softly and slowly putting his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

Odd’s eyes glanced up at him, and they seemed to be searching for something. Ulrich was certain what he was looking for. They remained silent, waiting, until Odd took a deep breath.

“Don’t freak out,” he warned. “I did have another one. Today.” He frowned. “Tonight?”

“Why would I freak out?”

“It concerns you. That’s why I’m telling you.” Odd ran his hand through his still matter hair, pushing stray strands out of his face. “We were fighting another spectre. I’m not sure what the attack was or who was possessed, but we were up on the school roof. Something went wrong and...” Odd gulped, his eyes going back to his feet, refusing to look at Ulrich.

A shudder raked Ulrich’s body no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. “And what? What happened?”

“You fell off the building and I think your head hit some rocks. You were... pretty dead.”

His bluntness surprised Ulrich. “I was what?”

“Dead. Yumi was crying over your dead body, but I convinced her to go to the factory while I continued to fights against the spectre.” A soft noise rumbled in the blond throat as he angrily rubbed his face. “Maybe you weren’t dead though. Maybe you just passed out and that’s why Yumi was scared. I mean. Maybe I misread the situation or...”

Ulrich pulled the blond toward him as they walked, huddling into each other. The chilly air sweeps through his clothing, piercing his body as he felt Odd’s frigid skin rub against him. The boy was only wearing a flimsy hospital gown.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ulrich declared. “It won’t happened. You stopped Jeremie from getting hit and Aelita from falling into the digital sea. And now that I know and the team sort of knows, we’ll be even more prepared.”

“I guess.” Odd shivered slightly, looking uncertain.

“Why didn’t you tell us though? About the visions and everything?”

“I thought you’d write me off as crazy.” Odd gave a humourless laugh. “Jeremie did. Predicting the future through visions does sound a little insane, doesn’t it?”

“Jeremie doesn’t think you’re crazy or senile,” Ulrich said. “He just doesn’t think Future Flash is what’s causing your problems.”

“I guess.” The hospital was slowly fading into view and Ulrich hesitantly picked up his pace. The temperature seemed to keep dropping, and he didn’t want Odd to get sick when he already faced his lungs collapsing and internal bleeding. “Are you scared?”

Ulrich frowned, looking back at Odd’s wide, uncertain eyes. “Are you?”

Odd hesitated. “It’s your life on the line, Ulrich.”

“It’s always on the line, every time we go to Lyoko, every day we can’t shut down the supercomputer. Hell, even with out Lyoko, I could still die anyway. XANA didn’t cause that car to nearly hit Jeremie.”

Odd looked uncertain. “You’re right.”

“But are you scared? I mean, having visions of watching your friends die and thinking it’s crazy and then having them nearly come true must be pretty... terrifying.”

Odd remained quiet, a pensive look on his face while his eyes stared out to the distance. Ulrich followed his gaze, wondering if he was looking at something in particular. Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn’t.

The two boys arrived at the hospital’s front entrance. The glass reflect their images, distorting them into backward versions. Ulrich could see his own fatigue and Odd’s slightly purple lips, bordering on blue as he shook silently. 

Ulrich pushed open the door and was extremely thankful that the receptionist was asleep, a fashion magazine splayed on her chest. They tip-toed last her, silently sneaking toward the elevator a few steps away. They entered, and warmth flooded their bodies and washed over their skin.

A few minutes later, and Ulrich and Odd found themselves back at the hospital room. It was just like they had left it. Ulrich was rather concerned at the fact that they had been gone for more than an hour and nobody noticed. Especially since Odd’s heart has stopped beating before they left. He supposed that’s what they get for checking into low rate and admittedly rather shady hospital.

He frowned. The doctors had said that something was taking excessive amounts of energy. Like a leech. It must be the parasite/virus. 

He watched as Odd lethargically wandered over to the white sheeted bed, his bare feet dragging on the cold tiles. He plopped down, and Ulrich could hear his staggered breathing. 

“Night, Odd,” he offered, turning his back and started to open the door. 

“Can you stay a little longer?” Odd’s tired eyes met Ulrich’s. The brunet didn’t hesitate to nod and shut the door quietly. He ambled back to the bed and sat on one of the waiting chairs, Odd’s eyes lazily traines on him. He looked spent, and Ulrich didn’t blame him; that was quite a lot of exercise when he had just barely got to out of yet another surgery. How the hell is he still together?

The dark room was still, and Ulrich sat completely still. He listened to the sounds of strained breathing, quietly closing his own eyes as the breathing started to even out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These kids need some sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie and Aelita discover something in the coding and share their newfound information. Meanwhile, Sissi comes to stir up trouble.

Jeremie rubbed his temple as he took off his glasses, fatigue hitting him hard as he felt a migraine start to form. He supposed that was to be expected after drinking only coffee and a few energy drinks to pull an all nighter. He had skipped dinner yesterday, and was starting to regret it.

The computer screen blinked at him, lines of code looking blurry in his terrible vision. He had spent the last few nights trying to fix whatever damage XANA had done to the supercomputer’s return to the past program, which was still broken, and sifting through the broken files. When he hit a dead end with that, and not wanting to disturb Aelita, he switched over to Odd’s problem.

The coding he had found had XANA’s mark, and they looked extremely familiar. It wasn’t because of XANA’s signature, but he couldn’t place it. In any case, XANA was definitely a culprit behind whatever was wrong with his friend.

He pulled his glasses back on, sighing as he chanced at the time. Numbers reflected off his lenses without registering in his brain and he went back to poking at the code. Strange, strange...

A pounding at his door sent him tumbling off his bed, startling him immensely. He laid there for a moment, sprawled on his back like a turtle, and sighed. The door jiggled as the weight of their harsh knocking rattled the door, and Jeremie slowly crawled to answer the obnoxious person.

He whipped it open, ready to chew out whomever it was, and raised his finger before blinking. Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi were standing at his door, fully dressed, with various emotions on their faces.

“It’s time for breakfast, isn’t it?” Jeremie asked. 

“Yep,” Yumi said. “Coming?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right out.”

“You look like shit,” Ulrich stated, leaning against the doorframe.

“Good morning to you too.” He turned to Aelita, and motioned for her to come in. “I need your help with something. It’ll only take a minute, and then we’ll join you for breakfast.”

Yumi and Ulrich exchanged a look before leaving, and Aelita watched them before stepping inside. He marched over to his computer, and turned it around to face her. He had only just started working on it an hour ago, so progress was non existent.

“Do these codes look familiar to you?” 

Aelita squinted, before nodding. “Yes. XANA’s signature is written all over them.”

“No, no!” Jeremie flapped his hands dramatically, pointing out different numbers. “Look here. Ignore XANA. Doesn’t that look familiar?”

Aelita frowned, biting her lower lip. She was concentrating, and Jeremie hoped that her memory would prove better than his. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she nodded her head.

“Of course! It’s the Future Flash program!”

Jeremie’s eyes widened as he looked back at the screen. Sure enough, those lines of code formed the old ability Odd had. Before he deleted it.

“XANA must have somehow mutated the program into a virus,” Jeremie muttered, thoughtfully tapping his fingers on the back of his laptop. “I suppose he saw it and learned that it had been a part of Odd’s DNA. He activated it, recoded it, and inserted it into the scanner. Then when Odd got virtualized, the new virus came with him.”

Aelita nodded, her eyes gleaming. “Yes! That makes perfect sense. He must have intended for it to act as a leech.”  
Jeremie closed the laptop, pushed his glasses up on his face, and gave a sad smile. “I guess we ought to tell Odd the new news.”

 

Odd blinked at the band of children. All four of his friends was present, Jeremie sitting in front of him on the swivel chair by the desk and Aelita next to him, Yumi hovering next to them, and Ulrich was laying on the bed next to him. Jeremie pushed up his glasses, a nervous tick. 

Odd had been released from the hospital just yesterday, promising not to do heavy exercise or strenuous activities. Basically, he was confined to the bed and was told to stay put, which he ‘promised’ he would. It was a lie, and everyone knew it, but it got him out of the starch white and into the cozy tan of his bedroom. It had been four days since he had passed out and revealed his strange visions. It felt like yesterday.

Odd has not said a word, which made Jeremie nervous. He had just finished explaining the realization Aelita and he had made, but over the course of the day, he had discovered more information.

“After looking at the codes more, Aelita and I think we know how the program is causing the health problems.”

Odd leaned on his elbow, his eyes watching him with interest, and Jeremie continued. “We think that the Future Flashes are draining your body. You see, the human mind has limitations on its capability to withhold information. Future Flash inserts and immense amount of information in your brain, causing deep stress that your body can’t handle. The more Flashes you have, the more your body will wear down, and eventually, cause failure, as more resources are diverted to ensuring your brain will continue to function.” He folded his hands. “How many Future Flashes have you had?”

Odd frowned, squinting his eyes. “Let’s see... five?”

“Five?” Yumi’s eyebrows knitted together. “You only told us of three. What were the other two?”

“How recent were they?” Aelita asked.   
Odd’s hesitation was easily seen. Ulrich was staring at him, an eyebrow cocked, and Jeremie wondered what he knew.

“I had one when I fainted, again, on Lyoko, and the other one when I got poisoned. Which, speaking of XANA, why would he give me the virus? Why not Aelita or someone else? Why me?”

Jeremie watched him, noting his uncertainty as he changed topics. It was on purpose. 

“I’m not sure. I think it’s because the Future Flash program had been coded into your DNA, making you an easy attack since it was already apart of you,” Aelita answered, looking thoughtful.

“Or XANA just thinks you’re a pest,” Ulrich said, smirking. “And I don’t blame him.”

Odd stuck out his tongue, glaring.   
Jeremie rolled his eyes, and looked back at his computer. So many matters to attend to. So little time. “At least we have that solved. But there’s still so many questions. How are we going to fix this? How is XANA able to keep the connection to the real world of a tower isn’t activated?”

Aelita sighed. “I suppose this just means there’s a lot of work to be done. And we still have to attend to the damaged return to the past.”

“XANA is weakening our defenses, picking us off,” Yumi calmly stared, her hands gripping her crop top tightly. “It’s only a matter of time before something else goes wrong.”

“Then we’ll just have to fix it!” Odd cheerfully said. “Anything XANA throws at us, we can throw back.”

An uneasy glance between the others confirmed Jeremie’s suspicions that not many would agree with that. XANA was becoming dangerously powerful; his attacks had gone back to attempting murder. 

Jeremie’s theories about his sudden jump in power was linked to Odd’s virus. What if the leech was draining him of energy to give to XANA? Like Odd was his very own battery? The sudden power increase is still worrying either way.

“I suppose....”

“Hey, freaks,” a voice interrupted. Each of the warriors groaned as they recognized te high pitched tune that sang of trouble.  
Sissi Delmas leaned against the door frame, a smirk gracing her features as she stick out her hip. Hervé and Nickolas were right behind her, watching with haughty expressions of superiority. Mischief surrounded them, and Jeremie wondered what sort of trouble they were about to bring.

Sissi’s dark eyes narrowed in on Odd, his bright cats acting like a bullseye, sweeping across his bedridden body. “So the circus freak returns? Did you have a nasty accident during your performance, clown?”

“You’re the one who belongs in the circus,” Odd cheerfully answered. “I mean, just look at your nose.”

Her smirk turned into a tight frown as the gang chuckled. “I don’t think you’re in any position to talk back. But let me guess what happened? Did you trip down the steps and break all your bones? Did your stupidity finally deform you even more so?”

Ah. Right. Sissi had been away for the past few weeks with her father. They had gone to a conference for Mr. Delmas and then visited a sick relative. She must not know what had happened in the last two weeks.

“Curious about my injuries? You do have a heart!” Odd dramatically placed the back of his hand against his forehead, exaggerated shock sweeping over his features. She scoffed. “I just got hit by a car. You know, the usual.”

She stared at him, uncertain if he was joking. She blinked once, twice, then said, “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. But some how you look more like road kill than me.”

Yumi let out a chuckle, and Ulrich gave a big smirk. Jeremie smiled softly, but his stomach felt uneasy; the car incident never failed to unsettle him. 

Her eyebrows furrowed and she stood straight up. She looked livid. “How dare you! I’m not the one who’s stupidity nearly got himself killed! I’m not the one with a smashed face and broken bones! I’m not the one who probably idiotically got himself ran over! Besides, you’re probably making it up! I bet you just fell down some stairs!”

“Calling him a liar?” Ulrich asked, fires in his eyes blazing. Jeremie’s stomach was tied in in knots.

“Yes! But I wouldn’t be surprised if his pea brain caused him to get ran over though. Did you not look both ways? Did you trip?”

“Sissi, calm down,” Yumu ordered. She looked worried. She was promptly ignored.

“You’re in no state to insult me! I’m not the one who’s half dead because of being stupid!”

“Sissi, shut up,” Aelita growled.

“What?! Why bother defending that moronic freak who can’t even function without messing up?”

Jeremie abruptly stood up, his glasses glaring in the harsh light of the evening sun. He heaved himself towards Sissi, almost ready to tackle her to the ground, his face in he’s from her. “Messing up? Messing up? That ‘moronic freak’ saved my life! He pushed me out of the way of the car and took the hit for me! He’s not a moron! He’s a hero! He’s not stupid, he’s not a freak, and he’s not anything else you’ve called him! He’s more of a hero than you could ever hope to be and you defacing that is extremely imprudent!”

Sissi stared at him, her mouth open and closing like a fish out of water. She looked ready to say something, but Jeremie interrupted. “Sissi, leave us alone. Odd saved my life; he didn’t mess up in any way. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. He may be weird, but he has something you’ll never have; courage.”

Jeremie slammed the door in her face, spinning around on his heels. Ulrich had a wicked gleam in his eyes, and Jeremie’s fave was red from his shouting. He was surprised no teachers had been drawn to the commotion; he felt he had been much too loud.

“You sure told her,” Ulrich said. “I would have said some nastier things, put you go Jeremie.”

“Sissi needs to learn all the facts before acting so rash,” Aelita scolded, looking at the shut door. Jeremie could easily see that his friends were just as angry as he was; Sissi had no right to make those accusations.

Odd was looking at him strangely, wide eyes blown almost comically wide. He looked genuinely surprised. “Wow Jeremie, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this upset.”

“Well... you’re not a screw up.” Jeremie knew what he wanted to say, put finding the words for his feelings was rather difficult. “Saving my life wasn’t a mistake, or some idiotic mishap. It was heroic.”

Odd folded his hands. “You’d have done the exact same thing. But thanks for standing up for me. I know you hate extreme confrontation.”

Jeremie shook his head. “With Sissi, I’d be willing to fight her without motivation.”

Ulrich nodded. “I’d join.”

“Me too,” Yumu offered.

“Of course,” Aelita states, like a fact.

Odd laughed. “Who wouldn’t?”

The tension in the air quietly disappeared as the group burst into nervous laughter. The anger wasn’t quite gone, not yet. Jeremie still felt irritated, but Sissi probably learned her lesson. 

As Jeremie made his way back to his seat, a loud beeping hit his ears. He rushed over to his bag, already knowing what to expect before pulling out his laptop. Odd and Ulrich exchanged a quick, small look, but Jeremie didn’t notice. Exclamation points reflected in his glasses as his fears were confirmed.

“XANA has activated a tower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I’ve been inactive! Winter break was rather hectic and finals were hard!!!  
> Thank you so much for al those wonderful comments! They really motivated me to finished this chapter!  
> Feels like I’ve been rushing but there’s a lot to be happening. Do you think so too?  
> I also realized I haven’t done anything with Sissi, which I have been meaning to do...


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> XANA attacha, the gang is split up, and the homicidal virsus’ plans become painfully obvious.

Odd leapt out of bed, tossing his sheets aside and feet hitting the ground with a soft thud. The team stared at him in surprise as he gave an excited grin. “Let’s go!”

“No way,” Jeremie responded, his tongue tsking. “You’re ordered to stay in bed. It’s extremely dangerous to have you out in the field.”

“It’s even more dangerous if I stay here. What if he comes after me?” Odd gestured lazily to his body, his arm sweeping toward his torso. “It’s not like I can exactly defend myself. But in Lyoko I can.”

Jeremie bit his lip, glancing at the other teens for help. He may be the ‘leader’, but he needed support or protests. He needed to make sure he was making the right call.

Ulrich shuffled uncertainty. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea...”

“Why not?” Yumi’s question surprised both all three. They assumed she’d be against. “Odd’s right. If he stays here, and he encounter’s XANA, that encounter will probably be fatal. If he comes with us on Lyoko, the only danger is passing out or devirtualization.”

Aelita nodded. “We need to hurry. I say Odd should come. Help is always needed.”

Jeremie pushed his glasses up, frowning. “Okay. Odd, you can come. Aelita’s right; we need to hurry. Every second we waste is a second XANA can use to his advantage. Let’s head to the factory, quick.”

The band of teens nodded in unison, and the door was slammed open as they quickly bolted. Sissi was no where to be seen, most likely sulking with her henchmen, and teachers were stuck in a conference. Perfect.

Sneaking out was going to be easy.  
Jeremie and Aelita somehow were ahead of the gang, and Odd could hear their heavy panting. Or maybe that was own. He had nearly died from internal bleeding so he wouldn’t be surprised if it was him. Either way, the two geeks were in the lead, and he was lagging behind.

Jeremie and Aelita bolted for the door, and were able to make it to the outside world. The lights suddenly flickered as they ran after the two, the yellow hallway lighting were turning off and on again.

Ulrich reached the door and pushed it, trying to budge it open. Yumi appeared right behind him, and they combined their strength. The door refused to move, and Jeremie and Aelita watched in confusion as the two shook their head.

“We’re stuck?” Odd asked, trying to control his heavy breathing as he skidded to a stop.

Ulrich rubbed his forehead. “Yeah. The door won’t open. I guess we know what XANA’s attack is.”

“He’s controlling the entire school,” Yumi murmured. She glanced at the two teens outside and waved her hands. “Go on without us! We’ll catch up later!”

Jeremie and Aelita understood the message but hesitated, sharing a small look. Slowly, they nodded, and took off toward the forest, fading into the distance as they tried to hurry. The trio glanced uneasily at each other; they were in XANA’s prison now.

“So now what?” Odd asked, leaning against the wall. Ulrich tapped his foot, frowning as he looked around, and Yumi was still staring at the retreating figures of their friends.

“I’m not sure. We could break a window?” Ulrich suggested.

Odd shrugged. Not much else they could do. 

The kids walked back to the dorm room, trying to find something heavy enough to break glass with. Windows lined the halls, so all they had to do was take their pick and lob whatever they had at the glass. Easy enough.

“Think this’ll work?” Yumi held up a metal lamp on Ulrich’s desk. He groaned.

“I got that as a gift.”

“Will it break a window?” Odd mused.

“Probably.”

“Then let’s go.”

They retreated from the rooms and were face to face with the rows of translucent glass. Yumi shrugged and tossed the lamp at the frames, throwing full force at the glass. They watched in disappointment as the lamp suddenly surged with energy, electricity crackling as it made contact.

They backed up from the ‘gift’ and watched as it slowly became charcoal. It plopped to the ground with a loud ‘thud’, smoke wafting from the circuits, it’s outer layer charred black.

“Glad we didn’t try to just body slam the window,” Odd stated simply.

“Well now what?” Ulrich asked. He was getting aggravated. 

“Try other exits?” Yumi suggested. “There’s got to be a way out of here.”

Odd gave a thoughtful look. “Might as well. Not sure what else we can do.”

Ulrich rolled his eyes and started to bolt ahead. He was heading toward the front entrance, and Yumi and Odd followed. Pumping their legs, they passed through the auditorium to get to the front office. As Odd and Ulrich passed through the open doorway, the door suddenly slammed shut behind them. They glanced back, startled by the ominous thud that echoed in the theater.

Yumi banged on the closed door, shouting at the two. They sprinted back over, pulling at the doorknob, trying to budge the metal door. 

“Sorry Yumi! We can’t open the door! It’s jammed!” Ulrich shouted. They could hear Yumi groaned.

“Looks like the door of opportunity closed, eh?” 

Odd’s attempted joke was received with a half hearted glare and an angry scoff from a different room. He grinned, and Ulrich rolled his eyes as his attention focused back at Yumi.

“Whatever. Met us at the front door. I guess you’ll have to take the back way.” Ulrich hesitated. “Be careful.”

“See you there guys.”

The sounds of retreating footsteps filled their ears, echoing slightly until the disappeared entirely. The two boys exchanged a weary glance before looking over at the other door across the room. They hoped it wasn’t closed as well.

They nodded slightly, signaling to go in unison, and bolted across the room, dodging theater seats as they bounded down the aisles. Ulrich reached the door first, and he reached out for the door handle.

Instead of remaining immobile, the door sent out a crackling electrical shock, and Ulrich fell to the ground, stunned. Odd rushed over, panting as he reached his friend. Ulrich slowly sat back up, frowning at his burnt hand.

“Yikes,” Odd commented. “How shockin-“

“My hand may be injured but I will not hesitate to punch you,” Ulrich threatened.

“Dang. I thought you’d be pretty _amped_ for that joke.”

Ulrich groaned as he sat up, and it was not from pain. “Please. Stop. We have better things to do than make jokes about being electrocuted.”

“I can’t think of anything better than that, but I get _watt_ you’re saying.” He grinned as Ulrich slugged his shoulder, stumbling slightly as his balance was stolen.

“I guess the only other way is the hallway.” Ulrich pointed to their left at a large hallway that was the art department. The only ‘exit’ out of the art hall was the stairs that led to the second floor of history.

Odd frowned. “If we go up stairs, there’s no way to get to the main entrance from there. There’s another set of stairs but it’s locked up.”

Ulrich ran his hand through his hair. “Maybe we can pick the lock?”

Odd shrugged. “I appreciate the faith, but my skills are limited. I’ve never picked a school lock.” Ulrich stared at him. “Okay. I’ve never picked _that_ lock before.”

“We’ll just have to try.”

Odd nodded slowly, and they both took off for the stairs. Blinding up each step at two at a time, they quickly made it the second floor. Papers fluttered as they rushed out of the history hall, trying to locate the math portion of te school, the area Odd tried to avoid as much as possible. It shouldn’t be too far...

He hoped Yumi was having better luck than them.

Ulrich skidded to a stop, and Odd nearly rammed into him. He wiped his brow as he slouched, now breathing harder than before. He felt winded, which seemed like an appropriate consequence of ignoring the doctors orders to avoid strenuous activities.

He glanced at the door they stopped in front of and noticed the stair sign hovering to his left. He fished around in his pockets, digging for the one item he made sure to carry with him at all times. A bobby-pin was extracted and he quickly reached for the knob.

He shoved the pin into the lock, and his eyes widened as he saw sparks dance out. Electricity sprung at him and he quickly let go of his bobby-pin, tumbling backwards as he felt a jolt race up his arm. Ulrich caught his other arm, stopping him from crashing into the tiled flooring.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine.” Odd clambered backwards, trying to regain his balance. Seeing that Odd could stand on his own, Ulrich let go of his arm, and frowned at the set of stairs. “Currently, we seem to be in quite the trouble, eh?”

“If you weren’t just electrocuted I’d sock you in the arm again,” Ulrich murmured as he turned his head to look around them. He was searching for an alternative route, but Odd knew there wasn’t anywhere to go. 

“We’re stuck,” Ulrich finally admired, leaning against the wall. Odd sighed.

“Maybe we could go back down the steps and try again?”

Ulrich frowned. “I don’t really see a point.”

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine.”

They jogged back toward the history department, crossing through gym as they decided to try again. The door swing shut behind them, and Odd felt a buzz of electricity swirl in the air. No turning back now.

They glanced uneasily as they attempted to reach the other end of the room. Ulrich tentatively reached out for the handle, stopping short as he hovered over the metal knob. “We can’t go back to the stairs. This door’ll fry us if we try to. You can feel the electricity on the handle.”

Odd felt a strange unease wash over him. He turned his head to the third door, and knew what awaited them. “Past that door is the teachers room and then the stairs leading to the roof.”

The unease made sense as images flashed before his eyes. He stumbled backwards as his now affirmed Future Flash crossed his sight, his balance suddenly fleeing as he recalled the vision that’s been haunting him for the last few days.

 

_Soft sobbing hit his ears as he glanced around, trying to understand his surroundings. Yumi was leaning over someone, her face full of horror, her almond eyes blown wide._

_They were next to the school, he figured. The west wing, near the science hall. However, he could feel the green grass under his bare feet and the sun’s rays beat down on him. They were outside._

_He tip toed closer, afraid of what he was to see._

_Yumi was shaking a body clothed in an all to familiar green. A small trickle of tears were pouring out of her face. “Wake up you idiot!”_

_Odd’s stomach churned as he looked at the face. Ulrich was laying there, deathly still, blood shimmering down his face, his arm bent at an unnatural angle._

_A strangled cry met his ears. He glanced up to see himself on the top of the roof, and it was a strange sensation. His was screaming, his hair flat like before Lyoko, his eyes gleaming in terror, his mouth agape._

_“Get to the factory!” He had shouted. “I’ll take care of the specter! Get to the factory!” He hiccuped and tears were falling down his face, his voice rising in urgency as he repeated, “Yumi! Leave!”_

_Yumi hovered over Ulrich, uncertainty etched in her face. Odd rubbed his eyes as he frantically waved his other hand. “Ishiyama! Go!”_

_She hesitated. Then she finally turned her back toward the two boys, one dead and one barely alive. And she fled._

 

“Odd!” Ulrich snapped his fingers as he tried to get the boy’s attention. Odd suddenly collapsed, falling to the ground before Ulrich could even choke out a word. Thankfully, his reflexes acted faster and he swiftly caught the blond before he fully hit the ground.

The boy did not need another hit to his head. God knows how much brain damage he had even before this mess.

He had gently set the boy to the ground, trying to get him to respond. His eyes were still open, so he didn’t pass out, per se, but he was not exactly conscious. There was a sort of hazy quality to them, glassy and blank as he remained completely still.

It was unnerving. If not for the soft rise and fall of his chest, he’d assume he was dead.

He put his hands on his shoulders and roughly shook the boy. What was the matter with him? What was going o-

Images of the first few months of fighting on Lyoko flirted through his mind. Odd suddenly pausing in their pursuits, stopping mid-sentence and in his tracks for a solid few minutes before spewing out important information.

He was having a Future Flash.

It was even more terrifying to see in the real world than it was in the virtual one.  
Odd suddenly arched upward, gasping for air as he blinked rapidly. Ulrich let go of him and quickly leaned away to give the smaller boy space. He jolted upward, glancing around before snapping his head in Ulrich’s direction.

“Remember how I told you about having that Future Flash of you sort of looking pretty dead ?”

“That’s uh, pretty heard to forget.”

“We were on the roof of the school.”

Ulrich nodded slowly. Something clicked in the back of his mind, but it didn’t fully register.

“The only other door leads to the roof.”

Ulrich’s eyes widened as he understood what Odd was talking about. Odd shakily started to stand back up, refusing Ulrich’s extended hand, and stared him in the eyes, solid oak brown meeting two slit pupils.

“XANA’s trying to lead us to the roof. He’s going to try to kill you today.”

_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *finger guns* Eyyyy. I’m not dead.  
> Odd just wants everyone to stop nearly dying, Jeremie and Aelita are missing, Yumi is tired of being left out, and Ulrich is sick of all these puns. Yeah?


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odd and Ulrich fight the specter....

Ulrich leaned against the wall, the weight of the situation finally dawning on him. In all honesty, he had sort of forgotten the warning Odd had given him a few days ago (it had been in the back of his mind, but nothing more). He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

Odd ran his hand through his hair, causing his blond strands to stick out in a mess of spikes. It was almost comical to see him ruin the same hair he fussed over each morning. He looked ready to pull it out, and Ulrich didn’t blame him. It was a rather stressful predicament.

“Okay,” he started quietly, staring at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact as he offered the best thing he could think of. “So we just... don’t go on the roof?”

Odd stared at him. “It can’t possibly be that easy.” He closed his eyes. “We were fighting something up there... it got really roof...”

“Odd. Are you shitting me right now?”

“I make puns when I’m nervous, okay!? But whatever. We were fighting a specter up there. XANA has something else planned.”

“If we stay here, we’re sitting ducks for him.”

“But if we go up the stairs...”

Ulrich sighed. God, he sometimes really wished Jeremie had just gone to a scrapyard instead of pilfering an abandoned factory. This is what his life was coming too.

The door to their left slammed open suddenly, the loud ‘thump’ shattering their silent contemplation. Principal Delmas stood, a cruel grin in his lips, and the eye of XANA flashing in his eyes. Electricity crackled from his hand that was still placed on the doorknob, and Ulrich took to a defensive stance.

Odd gave an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes at the man in the door frame. “Go figure. I always thought a teacher would finally break and kill me. Guess I wasn’t too far off...”

Delmas only gave a grunt in response, and started to edge closer to the two boys, causing them to instinctively back away. Ulrich and Odd exchanged uneasy glances; this wasn’t good. Ulrich’s eyes sharply went over Odd’s torso, remembering the stitches and the injuries he had sustained during all the previous battles. He was in no condition to fight, let alone go against supernatural being.

Oh, shit.

Ulrich glanced around, searching for a weapon as the possessed principal started to gain ground. The gym was empty, all of the soccer gear put away in the room only accessible through the door Delmas came from. Just their luck.

Suddenly, Delmas shot forward, heading straight toward the brunet. He jumped away, rolling to his left, and Odd jumped back. Delmas charged again like a mad bull, and Ulrich once again dodged.

The XANAfied principal suddenly changed course, heading straight toward Odd, his fist heading toward the teen. The blond frowned as he ducked away, but he was too slow. The blow hit his torso, and drove him to the door they had backed into, his back slamming against the cool metal. 

He used the distraction to his advantage.  
Ulrich let out a yelp as he jumped on top of the specter, his legs around his waist and his arms around his neck. A metallic grunt escaped the bearded man as he stumbled toward the door, pushing it open as they both fell into the hallway.

Odd scrambled away from them, hopping back up and rolling his shoulders. He raised his hands and cracked his knuckles, smirking at the larger man who was now on top of Ulrich, about to strangle him. 

“Hey XANA!” He shouted. “C’mon, you glitch! Bet you can’t hit me again!” He stuck out his tongue after his taunt and put his fingers to his forehead, making the shape of an ‘L’.

XANA’s eyes narrowed and he got off of Ulrich, kicking the boy away as he locked into the blond. Now having gained his attention, Odd obviously didn’t have a plan after that, and started to back further away from the door and down the hallway.

Ulrich groaned as he rolled over, pushing himself to get back up. He watched as Odd suddenly broke into a run, sprinting down the corridor and with vampire speed Delmas quickly sprinted after. He chased after the two of them, his legs pumping as hard as he could.

Delmas slammed into Odd, easily catching up to the injured boy and throwing him to the ground. Odd let out a small squeak as his shoulder hit the floor, and Ulrich winced. He skidded to a stop and picked up the nearest item- a plastic trash can- and started to beat the older man with it.

Delmas turned around and reached for the brunet, that devilish smirk still on his lips. He gabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him forward, causing Ulrich to stumble over Odd and collapse in front of him as he was tossed to the ground.

Odd struggled to get free from the heavy body on top of him, his wheezing filling the quiet air. Delmas’ attention suddenly zeroed in on him, but before he could react, Odd freed his foot and kicked the man in the jaw, temporarily stunning him.

The specter loosened his grip just enough for Odd to wriggle free, scooting away toward Ulrich, who was slowly pushing himself up. Odd wiped his lip, smearing blood on his cheek, and looked at Ulrich as he stood up. They took a defensive position, their hands turned to fists as they stood like boxers, ready to fight. 

Delmas quickly stood back up, glared at the two teens, and charged forward. The two scrambled away, running as fast as they could in the narrow hallway. They needed to escape...

Ulrich was suddenly shoved into another door, slamming it open with his body. Delmas has caught up and shoved him into the metal, causing the door to slam into the wall with and echoing ‘thud’. He regained his balance quickly and side stepped Delmas’ fist, which collided into the wall.

Odd rolled into the new room, dodging Delmas’ angry kick as he reached his friend once again. They glanced at each other, making sure they were okay, and Ulrich rolled his shoulder. 

Delmas dislodged his fist from the plaster and quickly twirled to face the meddling teens. Ulrich hoped Yumi was having much better luck, maybe even having escaped. He hoped Aelita was almost to the tower. He wasn’t sure how much more he and Odd could take.

He stalked forward, snorting like and angry bull as he closed the gap between te teens. They continued to walk backwards before they suddenly tripped over something that rose from the floor.  
They swiveled their heads to find themselves face to face with a staircase. They were being pushed toward the roof.

_Pro: More space to fight in._

_Con: Ulrich is probably going to be pushed off the roof._

He sighed as he scrambled up the stairs, pulling Odd up with him. The blond’s eyes had widened dramatically, and his feet seemed like cement blocks, dragging as they climbed the stairs.

Delmas quickly followed in pursuit, looking extremely agitated as he clambered up the hitting stairs. Ulrich shoved the trap door open, laughing himself onto the rough surface of the roof. Odd quickly followed, pushing himself up from the ground as they both attempted to slam the door on Delmas.

Electricity crackled and before they could react, bolts shot up at them, electricity shocking them intensely. They stumbled backwards as they finally let go, the door burying open and XANA faces the now fried teens.

Odd hissed in pain as he fell to the ground, and Ulrich stumbled backwards, still remaining upright. He was a few feet away from the ledge. This was not good...

A fist swing at his face and he instinctively ducked, quickly stepping backward. Another swipe and Ulrich was pulled by his shirt, tumbling away just in time for the punch to miss. Odd had pulled him backwards, his hand still clenching his bunched up shirt.

Delmas used the distraction and threw another punch, this time clipping Ulrich in the head. He heard Odd shout at him as he crumbled down, the world blurring as he started to hit the ground. XANA wound his leg back to kick, but Odd pushed the brunet away, shoving him to the other side and narrowly missing getting kicked. 

Ulrich stumbled as his feet hit the ledge, and he looked down to see the green grass below. His vertigo was starting to act up, and he tore his eyes away from the ground to face the challenger. Now was not the time for distractions.

“Ulrich!” It was a scream, not a yelp.  
Ulrich snapped his head in the direction of the voice. 

Everything moved in slow motion as his reflexes failed to save him. The fist was too close, too fast. He was going down, about to get knocked over the ledge. Not ideal. 

A blond blur suddenly tackled him, pushing him to the ground before suddenly becoming missing from view. His eyes widened as he realized what happened, and kicked the specter’s legs to knock him off balance.

In hysteria, he launched his upper half over the edge, his fingers grazing the air until he hit flesh. He tightened his hold around it, and for the first time, he thanked his luck that Odd was so scrawny.

He clasped Odd’s wrist in his hands, and felt Odd tightly grip his own wrist as he suddenly jerked to a stop. Ulrich met terrified chatoyant eyes as he stared into Odd’s face.

He had pushed him backwards so he could take the hit. He knew that the hit would send him tumbling off the ledge.

“Odd!” A voice screamed. They both recognized the shout as they glanced at the ground. Yumi was standing there, shaking, her eyes wide in horror. 

“Run Yumi!” Odd shouted. “Go on ahead without us!”

“But-“

“Run Ishiyama!”

Yumi stared at him for a long moment, but Ulrich could see that she knew there was nothing for her to do. She hesitated, before turning around, her back facing the kids, and she ran, turning into a blur as she sprinted harder than he had ever seen before.

A looming shadow fell over head, and Ulrich felt more than saw the principal get up. His time was up. He had to think of something to get Odd back up on the roof.

He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see a foot fly toward his face. He ducked his head and panicked. He couldn’t hold on to Odd and fight at the same time. 

He twisted his head and kicked his leg, aiming for the man’s legs. His kick was a little too high, and hit something much more sensitive. XANA groaned as we stumbled backward, and Ulrich was granted a few more precious minutes to contemplate what to do as his hold started to slip.

Odd stared up at him, a grin blooming across his face, like a sunflower. He closed his eyes and slowly, he started to let go. His hand slacked it’s grip and Ulrich’s eyes widened as he realized what he was doing. 

“Odd! Stop!”

“You’re strong, but not enough to pull me back up, especially if you have to fight while doing so.” Odd’s grin was still present. “I’m deadweight. Let go.”

“Odd, you cant-“

Odd’s hand slipped down his arm until Ulrich caught his hand with his own. 

“Stop!” Ulrich pleaded. Desperation flirted through his mind, hysteria starting to settle in. This idiot was try to sacrifice himself. Again. Damn it.

Odd’s stupid grin that Ulrich wanted to knock off with a solid punch continued to shine. He winked, and suddenly, he let go.

His hand no longer came in contact with his flesh, his warmth suddenly gone. Ulrich screamed as loud as he could, ignoring the specter that creeped up behind him. Panic and terror shot up through his viens, his adrenaline finally, truly kicking in as the realization hit full force.

Odd free fell for a moment, and Ulrich watched as he closed his eyes.  


A white light flashed before his eyes, slowly starting to wrap the entirety of France in a white blanket. But Ulrich feared it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odd pulls another self sacrifice, Ulrich is scared shitless, Yumi is also extremely terrified, and Jeremie and Aelita are somewhere else.  
> I’m going to go ahead and post this cause I may be in active for a while and might as well use the writing High I’ve been on to my advantage.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the last battle reveals something shocking to the group, and they learn they need to hurry before time runs out, and thus, a plan is born.

Odd slowly opened his eyes, frowning as he felt his chest ache fully. His lungs were burning and he could feel new bruises form on his flesh from his last fight. 

His head snapped up. His last fight.

Ah, yes, where he has nearly plummeted to his death. His fingers had just grazed grass last he remembered. That was close.

Guess it was more of his last _flight._

It really wasn’t that funny, pulling the self sacrificial move. The joke really wasn’t that funny, yet a hysterical part of his mind cracked up (in more ways than one, probably) at the unconscious joke.

He glanced around, shaking his head to ground him to back to where he was. Jeremie and Aelita did it. They had deactivated the tower and Yumi must have told them to do a return to the past. They were back at his room, although he wasn’t quite sure at what point in the conversation they were in.

“You little piece of shit,” someone growled. Odd turned his head to see Ulrich staring at him, a strange cross between relief and booking anger on his face. 

“Me?” He asked, pointing at himself.

“You’ve got to stop this bullshit!” Jeremie and Aelita frowned in confusion at his exclamation; Yumi remained silent, emotionless. 

“What?” Jeremie asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Odd had a Future Flash about me falling off the roof of the school and when we got attacked by the spectre it cornered us on the roof and was about to go push me off when Odd took the hit for me!” Ulrich was stalking toward his bed, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Odd felt truly nervous. “Not only that, but I caught him before he could fall, and you know what he did? He let go! You let go on purpose! You just want to die, don’t you?”

“It was you or me, Ulrich.” His voice was calmer than how he really felt.

“Then it should have been me!” Ulrich was practically shrieking at this point, and Odd could see the storm of emotions on his face. “You can’t keep pulling this bullshit! You’re not invincible! You’re going to die because of this suicidal, self sacrificial tendency you have!”

“But at least you’re not dead!” Odd shot back. “I’d rather it be me than you! Or any of you! I won’t apologise! I did what I thought was right and I still think it was! If I held on I would have just pulled you down with me! We could have both died! It wouldn’t matter! And besides, we’re both here. We’re not dead! I’m still alive! So why does it matter?!”

“Because I saw you hit the ground!” Ulrich was shaking. “I saw you touch the grass! A second later and I’d be staring at a dead body! Why didn’t you try to pull yourself up?! You could have; the ledge was right there! Why didn’t you try to pull me away?”

Odd frowned. He hadn’t thought of the alternatives. He had acted purely on instinct. There may have been better solutions.

“W-well,” Odd stuttered. “You would have done the same thing.”

“Odd!” Ulrich sounded exasperated, and sat down in the bed. “That’s not the point! Look at you! You’re a mess!”

“You’re not much better-“

“I don’t have stitches on multiple parts of my body, my lung didn’t nearly collapse, I wasn’t hit by a car, poisoned, and beaten to a pulp! I’d say I’m better off than you!”

“Okay. True.”

Ulrich took a deep breath. “Just... this isn’t healthy. You’re barely hanging on as it is. If you keep at it, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

“What does it matter?” Odd finally asked. He felt anger boiling inside him, hot tears prickling the corners of his eyes. “I’m dying anyway! I’ve got this virus in me that no one knows how to get rid of and it’s sucking all my energy and I’m gonna end up dead anyway! I already know I’m going to die; I Future Flashed my own funeral! So there’s no point in ‘self preservation’ if I still end up dead! So tell me, what’s the point if I can save your life when mine is already over?!”

The room was dead silent. Odd’s anger dissipated as he realised his mistake. He hadn’t meant to reveal that last part. Shit.

“You saw your own funeral?” Aelita’s voice was small. He looked up, having forgotten about the rest of the group, and was met with slack jaws and horrified expressions.

He coughed. “Forget it.”

“Uh, no.” Jeremie pushed up his glasses as he stared at him, a strange look passing his face. “What do you mean you saw your own funeral?”

Odd remained silent. It felt so private to him, an intimate moment he shouldn’t reveal. In technicality, it would eventually be shared with them anyway. They were the only ones who would attend, after all. 

That thought left a bitter after taste in his mouth.

“It was just after XANA’s gas attack.” He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. “You guys were there, standing over a mound of dirt. Jeremie tried to give a eulogy, but Ulrich butted in and started insulting me. It was... it was snowing, and you were the only ones there.”

“How do you know it was your funeral?” Yumi quietly asked, her voice tight. It was a strange contrast from her confidence that usually leaked through.

“I wasn’t there, and you kept talking about terrible humour, lame jokes and puns.” He frowned. “I’m pretty sure you were looking at a grave stone.”

“But we don’t know for sure it was yours?” Aelita tried to sound hopeful.

“I...” He paused, trying to think of how to word his answer. Technically, no. “It just. Something felt weird about that Future Flash. I can’t really explain it. But there’s so much evidence for it...”

“You said it was snowing?” Jeremie a face was buried in his computer, the screen emanating a dull light. He raised a brow at the fellow blond.

“Yeah, and lots of it. You guys were all dressed up for winter.”

Jeremie looked up at him, his face unreadable, although he detected a hint of guilt, as he stared at him for a solid few seconds. Slowly, the boy turned the screen of his computer to face the rest of the group, and Odd knew why he had that expression.

“The forecast calls for a snow storm in about two weeks.” 

Well. Now he can count his days in certainty, like a prisoner counting the days he’s spent in jail or the days until release. Even better. 

“Two weeks. Okay.” Ulrich was struggling for something to say, running his hand through his hair as fear started to take hold.

“This sucks,” Odd finally commented.

“Do you have any idea why you died?” Aelita tried. 

He shook his head. “No. You guys didn’t say anything about that.”

Yumi pinched the bridge of her nose. “Shit. We have no idea how to prevent this, do we?”

“I’m assuming here,” Jeremie quietly started. “But maybe he dies of the virus? It’s sucking his energy and transferring it to his brain to keep it running; once he runs out of energy, well, he’ll be like a dead battery. So maybe that’s the reason?”

“You’ve had five future flashes?” Yumi asked. Odd nodded. “Okay. So how many should it take before he... uh...”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about what’s going on with this. It might not even be the virus that kills him anyway!”

“Chillax, Einstein.” Odd put his hand on the boys shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. “We’ll figure this out. It’s hard to prevent something you know little about.”

“Odd, this is your life,” Ulrich stated.

“I wish it wasn’t.”

His attempt at humour was thoroughly ignored. “What triggers your flashes? What’s the common denominator?”

Odd blinked. “Uh. I got knocked out before I had them.” Before Jeremie could say anything, he put up a finger. “But- they sometimes repeat themselves. Like, they’ll be on replay until I have the next one.”

“So you continuously have Future Flashes?”

“Yeah. They’ll just play on repeat until I get knocked out and have another one.”  
Jeremie moaned, putting his face in his hands. Odd stared at him, not understanding. “Odd. That means you’ve had much more than five Flashes.”

His eyes widened. “Oh.”

“Each time you repeat a vision, it’s more energy being taken,” Aelita explained. “You don’t, by chance, know how many of those you’ve had?”

“Nope. They happen randomly and I’ve lost count. I can have more than two a day.”

Jeremie skunk further into his chair. “Shit.”

“Well, uh.” Yumi stares at him, trying to figure something out. “How have you been feeling lately?”

He frowned, pursing his lips. “Like a punching bag.”

“Do you feel any more tired than usual?”

“Well. Yeah. I guess I do. I’ve been feeling pretty sluggish since a few weeks ago, and it’s been getting kinda worse...” He suddenly understood why Jeremie was crumpling into a ball like a wadded piece of paper. “Oh.”

“Sometimes you’ll randomly fall asleep,” Ulrich mused. “But you kind of do that anyway. It’s just worse now. Like in English. You kept dozing off last week in class. And Physics.”

“So I’ve got some freaky virus in me that’s zapping me of my energy and is probably the reason why I die, and I only have like two weeks before I do kick the bucket, and I’ve been getting progressively worse without even realising it...” Odd sighed. “This really does suck.”

“Your injuries aren’t probably helping,” Jeremie pitched in. “Energy is being drawn to both your brain and to healing, which is weakening your body at an exponential rate. You’re health is declining more rapidly than it probably should be.”

Odd rolled his eyes. “Yet another positive addition to this downhill spiral.”

“How do we fix him?” 

Aelita and Jeremie shared at look at Ulrich’s inquiry, before Aelita gave a definitive answer. “Going through the coding will take us weeks to do even if we work together. Time that we don’t have.”

“Sector five?”

Jeremie fiddled with his fingers. “That’s a good idea, but extremely dangerous. That’s basically hacking into XANA, who’s becoming more powerful by syphoning off energy from the return to the past and Odd. Not only that, but we’d have to bring in Odd so I have his data file and so we can do whatever is needed, and with how recent results show, one shot and he’s down.” 

“XANA will be especially on guard now that he has more ammunition,” Aelita added. “And who knows what we’ll find? XANA may not know how to deconstruct the code and the edits he made to it.”

“But he could,” Yumi argued. “Surely he’d know what to do. He’s got to have a- a- an anti-virus or something.”  
Aelita frowned. “Maybe-“

“Then that’s enough for me,” Ulrich stated simply. “We’ll go and see what information he has. XANA’s got yo have something useful.”

Jeremie nodded silently, uncertainty still in his features. “Okay. We should go tomorrow.”

“Why not today?” Odd asked. Jeremie gave him a wary look.

“You’re in no condition to do anything. That fight with the spectre left some damage, emotional and physical. You’ll need to be well rested before we can go to secret five.”

Odd was ready to argue when Ulrich snidely said, “Doctor’s orders, Odd.”

He grumbled angrily. “Whatever. But it better be first thing tomorrow. Are we ditching school altogether or what?”

“There’s no school tomorrow, Odd,” Yumi stated. 

“Oh. Sunday.”

“Yep. So it’ll be easy to get to and from the dorms,” Jeremie stared absently, staring out the window. 

“I’ll meet with you guys after breakfast,” Yumi offered. “We ought to get this over with as soon as possible.”

Jeremie hesitated, before glancing at Odd. “You sure you’ll be up to it?”

“I may be extremely tired, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually dead.” Odd stretched his arm across his chest, giving Jeremie a tired look. “I just want this to be over with, as soon as possible.”

Jeremie nodded. “Just... be careful. I understand the want to be quick, but don’t die before we figure out a cure.”

“Trust me, I’m _dying_ to get to the bottom of this like you guys are.” The room was dead silent. “Too soon?”

Ulrich rolled his eyes. “It wouldn’t be you without a shitty pun.”

Odd let loose a laugh, at his friend’s annoyance and the soft glare accompanying it. The laugh didn’t last long before it quickly turned into a coughing fit, and Odd struggled to get a hold of himself as he wheezed, desperate for air.

Ulrich’s annoyance melted into concern and Yumi quickly walked over, observing him for a moment. Odd couldn’t stop coughing, his lungs refusing to work properly and his throat becoming sandpaper as he chocked in the air he tried to get in. Fire ripped inside his chest as if he had been burned, and he wished he could scream but all that came out was more coughs.

“Odd, you need to calm down. You’re panicking, and it’s restricting your air flow.” Yumi’s voice was soft, tentative, but stern.

Odd continued to hack, trying to focus on her voice. Of course he was panicking; he couldn’t breathe. Was his body shutting down on him already? Was all his energy really gone? Was he really-

“Focus, Odd. Calm down.”

Slowly, slowly, the fire started to die down as he tried to focus on Yumi’s advice. He needed to remain calm. He wasn’t dead, and he won’t be dead because his friends are going to save him. There’s no need to be afraid.

His lungs lost the feeling of being shredded and his throat was now a dull ache. A few more coughs ripped through his chest before he could stop them, and a warm, metallic tasting liquid trickled out of his mouth as he let loose a shuddering cough.

The looks on his friends’ faces confirmed what he feared without even looking down. Still, he forced his eyes to stare at his lap as his remaining blood curdled at the sight.

Blood splattered his blanket, red specks colouring the cover a deep burgundy as it dropped down his chin like water dripping from a broken pipe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! Life was being rude, so I’m... slightly late.
> 
> Anyway, Odd let’s a secret spill, Ulrich is tired of people almost dying, Yumi is concerned, Jeremie is terrified, and Aelita wants to help.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids take a field trip to Lyoko.

_They were running out of time._

The thought haunted Jeremie, mocking him with the realisation that not all his friends will die of old age. That Odd was going to die by his own hand, inadvertently but apparently so. If he hadn't insisted on searching the factory... if he hadn’t forced his friends to join him against XANA...

No. That wasn’t quite fair. They knew the risks; all of them.

Guilt still riddled him like no tomorrow. 

Because Odd may not have a tomorrow.

He tried to push aside those thoughts, but the continuously kept him from blissfully slumbering. He hadn’t been able too, not really, since the first incident. The hit and run still haunted him because it should have been him, if he had just looked, Odd wouldn’t be in such a condition-

So he coded until it was a decent hour to be productive if his brain decides to deprive him dozing. He wasn’t sure when the others would get up, so he wouldn’t bother them for a little longer. He focused on the return to the past issue- which was, unfortunately, another pressing matter that needed attending. Almost done. So close. 

But just out of reach.

He’ll need Aelita to help him finish the rest, but it was... refreshing to be useful. To be at least a little productive in some pressing issue.

Especially when the world seemed to be falling apart.

The gentle knock on the door startled him enough to tip his chair back, and he landed on the ground with a thud. He groaned before dragging himself back up to open the door; how embarrassing. He hoped no one heard-

“Everything alright in there?”

Damn it.

He opened the door, and found two teens standing idly in front of him. Ulrich was dressed as if he was going to school, ready for a normal day of studying. Aelita looked as if she had just rolled out of bed, but decided to put on jeans and tucked her oversized shirt-nightgown.

“You ready to head out, Jeremie? Yumi is waiting at the school gate,” Aelita asked, interrupted by a yawn. 

Jeremie pushed his glasses up. “Yeah. I guess so. Where’s Odd?”

“He’s with Yumi. We weren’t sure what you were doing or how long it would take. They’re at the bench.”

Jeremie nodded and quietly shut the door behind him. They sombrely began their walk toward the front of the school, and the chill of the winter air seeped into their bones. Their feet padded on silently down the halls as they carried themselves toward the open doors of the school.

Briskly and quietly, they arrived at the gate in an efficient fashion. It was over too quick but somehow, not fast enough. The dread in his stomach morphed into a painful pit.

Odd sat on the bench, idly watching Yumi as she paced about while waiting. He looked even worse than when he saw him last. Purple bruises were pressed under his eyes to where Jeremie nearly mistook them for black eyes. His hair was matted and an attempt at his signature pointy hair was made, but it was too sloppily done to really be recognised as the point.

Yumi looked prim and proper, dressed in her gloomy black. Her attire was all too fitting to the mood they were in and the news they had heard yesterday.

“Ready to leave, Einstein?” Odd inquired, glancing up from Yumi to Jeremie, a tired, crooked grin perched on his face.

“Yes. Are you sure you’re okay-“

“I’m feeling so fantastic it feels as if I’ve reached my peak.”

“I really hope this isn’t your best,” Ulrich muttered. Odd shot him a dirty look before giving a sigh.

Jeremie rolled his eyes at their behaviour and awkwardly redistributed his weight. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”

 

They had arrived at the factory too quickly for Yumi’s liking. It was, however, better than being left to her thoughts as Jeremie and Aelita discussed what course of action to take on the return to the past situation. Meanwhile, Ulrich and Odd were arguing over something (music?) as they journeyed to the old factory.

The elevator came to a halt and Jeremie walked out, his back hunched and his neck crooked. He reminded her vaguely of Atlas, holding the sky. She hoped he wasn’t taking things too hard; he was always either too boastful or too guilt ridden.

Jeremie glanced over and looked at Odd. He was nervous. “Odd, are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this? I don’t know how your... condition could affect your transfer and your experience on Lyoko, especially since...” He coughed. _It’s gotten worse_ were the words left unsaid.

“C’mon, Jeremie. Have a little faith, yeah?” Odd calmly remarked before leaning over Ulrich. He slammed his hand against the button and the doors slid closed. The last thing she saw of Jeremie was an annoyed scowl at being so easily waved away.

Soon, they arrived at the designated floor and quickly filed out. It was customary to go in pairs, so Ulrich and Aelita went first into the scanners, leaving Yumi and Odd behind as they waited for Jeremie’s voice to inform them to get in.

“You ready?” Yumi asked, cocking an eyebrow. It was a valid question considering how dead (too literally for her liking) on his feet he had been this morning. Walking from the dorms to the front enterance had been so exhausting he needed a break. 

He shrugged. “Not really a choice.”

“Aelita and Ulrich are in Lyoko. Step right up guys,” Jeremie ordered, interrupting Yumi from inquiring further.

They did as told and slipped inside the scanners, the doors sliding shut. A blast of cold air hit her, and it never failed to make her shudder no matter how many times she went through these same motions. Jeremie spoke in he background, and before she knew it, he confirmed the transfer was complete.

 

Yumi landed on the ground gracefully, catching herself as Aelita and Ulrich watched. Seconds later, Odd landed next to her with less luck; he went face first into the ground. It would have been funny otherwise, but the way it slowly took him to get back up told them his landing wasn’t from surprise.

Jeremie let out a soft sigh before saying, “Alright guys, you know the drill.”

The group glanced at each other for a moment before they grunted in affirmation. They sprinted off, heading for the edge of the sector, and Yumi could feel the excitement buzzing in the air. 

They found their way easily, and Yumi knew Jeremie was typing in Carthage as they impatiently waited. The Transport Orb appeared, and in one easy sweep, they were picked up. Their plan was set into motion, and now they must continue forward.

They appeared into the Arena, and Odd groaned. “I hate taking that ride. It always gives me stomach aches! Maybe I should have laid off on the breakfast this morning.”

Yumi grinned. “You couldn’t even if you tried.”

“True true. You can’t separate me from my true love.”

“I guess you’re doing okay then, Odd?” Jeremie called from above. “Anything to complain about?”

“I’m feeling fine, but complaint-wise, the math test we had last class was pretty hard, and there wasn’t any maple syrup this morning, and-“

“You’re fine.” Jeremie sounded slightly agitated. “Just keep going guys.”

They all grinned as they ran off and with one warning, the timer had started. The countdown was on.

This was Yumi’s least favourite part. She watched as Ulrich ran ahead, screaming that he had seen the key, and settled for attacking the creepers that started to spill in. Aelita was to her left and Odd to her right, dodging and fighting as if nothing is different.

A shot to her arm startled her, and she puckered her lips as she caught herself from falling backwards. Jeremie yelled a one minute warning, and Yumi glanced over to see Ulrich surrounded by a hoard of creepers.

Guess she has to do everything herself.

Dashing past the remaining creepers, she jumped from one platform to the next, rushing toward Ulrich. She grinned as he jumped from the last platform, and landed on a creeper. Pushing her weight on the monster, he jumped back off, propelling herself toward the key that jutted from the wall, and grinned as hit her mark.

The path was quickly made, and she could hear war-whoops and excited cheers as she waited for the group to rejoin. Ulrich high fives her before muttering, “I had it covered.”

“Sure, sure.”

Aelita and Odd caught up, and grinned. “Alright! Now to get this show on the road!” 

“Head to the mainframe guys,” Jeremie chided. He’s even more impatient than usual.

They followed orders and ran out to the Core. They better be quick, although with the topic they’re ‘researching’, it wasn’t likely. 

Aelita skidded to a stop and started to pull up files. She seemed to feel the necessity of being quick, and began scouring through the millions of files and information. Yumi watched in silence until Jeremie’s voice broke through again.  
“You doing okay Odd?”

Odd hesitated, stared at the ground, the looked up in the sky. “Yeah. Feelin’ pretty tired though. Did anything happen in the transfer or something?”

“The scanner just picked up the virus you have, but nothing else. Is that all?”

“Yep!” Odd flexed his arms and grinned. “Other than that, never better!”

Yumi could practically see Jeremie’s eyes roll as he sighed, “I hope you have been better.”

“I’m not finding anything,” Aelita murmured, interrupting the conversation as she continued her search. “There’s a lot to sort through...”

“Keep trying.”

“Of course.”

Ulrich glanced up and sighed wearily, brown eyes searching the walls. “The manta’s are starting to hatch.”

And they were. The surface of the walls were beginning to bubble up, and mantas were soon to pop out at any minute. Great.

Odd frowned. “I’m not sure I can fight them. I don’t think my balance is good enough and I’d rather avoid falling and getting permanently deleted, ya know?”

“Stay in the ground then, Odd. Yumi and Ulrich can cover you guys.”

“That’s fair,” Ulrich agreed. “It would kind of suck.”

“Kind of?”

“You’re right. A little.”

Odd clutched his heart. “Rude.”

“Boys, boys, you’re both idiots. Now can we get back to the threat at hand?”

“They’ve hatched!” Jeremie’s voice echoed, and Yumi watched as he was proven right. The mantas appeared from the wall and began flying straight towards the small band. “Aelita?”

“Just a little longer Jeremie!”

Vehicles materialised before the three, and Yumi jumped on her Overwing without her a second thought. Ulrich followed suit and they took to the sky as they began their assault on the squadron of monsters. She pulled out her an, spreading it as she flew overhead.

Odd remained on the ground, watching with an unreadable expression on his face as he tossed a fan. It hit the eye of XANA dead on, and the manta squeaked and groaned before exploding violently. The fan flew back, and she assaulted the onslaught of incoming mantas.

Ulrich and her caught eyes and grinned as they flew by. She targeted a new manta and tossed her fan, scraping it’s side but missing the mark. It shot at her, and she dodged quickly as she caught her fan. The manta continued to shoot at her, seemingly gaining confidence as she dodged each attack.

A laser hit her leg and she jolted forward, nearly dropping her weapon. She continued to be on the défense, waiting for the right opportunity.

“Hey! Leave him alone, you big flying pancake!”

Yumi’s head turned just in time to watch a yellow arrow sink into the eye of XANA on a manta that was tailing Ulrich. Odd grinned as it exploded, his arm still outstretched as he smirked. “Sorry Linda.”

“Nice one Odd!” Ulrich complimented. “But really? Linda?”

“It suited her.”

“Jeremie! I think I found something!” Aelita’s voice rang clear as the group’s attention zoned in on her. 

“Transfer the files to me then!”

“Already on it! Just a little while longer guys!”

Yumi dodged another attack and tossed her fan, noticing the manta had taken a short break. It hit it’s mark and disintegrated, loudly yelling and screeching as it did so. Catching her fan, she frowned as she looked around.

“Guys, there’s a lot more mantas than usual. I hope you can speed things up.”

“Almost done, Yumi.”

“Look out!” 

She turned around just in time for a beam to hit her straight in the chest. She cursed as the lost control for a moment before fixing her trajectory, and diving after the manta that shot her.

“Guys! Be careful! Ulrich’s just been devirtualized!” 

Yumi frowned. It was up to her them.  
She could hear Odd’s arrows firing, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the forces overwhelmed them. She hunted down the manta and tossed her fan, hoping to hit the mark.

“All done Jeremie!”

“Perfect! I’ve received the files! You guys can hitch a ride on the elevator and I’ll devirtualize you!”

Yumi grinned until a stinging feeling hit her back, and she sighed as she knew what had happened. Blue squares peeled off her skin as she began the devirtualization process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie feels guilty, Yumi’s a badass, Ulrich just kinda there, Aelita is trying her best, and Odd is just so tired.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Group discusses what to do with the new data, and Ulrich and Odd go on a small forest adventure.

Jeremie, Yumi, and Ulrich watched as the elevator opened and Aelita and Odd exited. Aelita has an expression of somber excitement (is that possible? To be sad yet thrilled?) and Odd sluggishly moved after her confident steps, his feet acting as deadweights. Ulrich frowned before glancing back at Jeremie, who’s eyes were now glued to the screen.

“Great job Aelita,” Jeremie stated. “I think this is the original code of the Future Flash program, the full version of the code XANA uploaded, and fragments of trial runs he had made before hand.”

“Not an antidote?” Yumi asked, leaning on the chair, her lips turned down in a crescent. 

“Afraid not. It’s pretty encrypted, but the data could probably help us in developing one.”

“How long might that take?” Odd’s eyes were questioning and hopeful. Jeremie couldn’t meet them.

“I’m not sure. With Aelita’s help, maybe a few days?”

“We don’t have that time!” Ulrich stated, crossing his arms. Two weeks, and less than that now, was his supposed funeral. And who knows when the virus was going to...

Jeremie hung his head. “I know. We’ll try to be as quick as possible, but that’s hoping there’s no XANA attack and that cracking XANA’s inscriptions won’t be too time consuming.”

Aelita nodded. “Jeremie and I will try our best. I’m sure we can do it. Besides, Odd, you haven’t had another new Future Flash, have you?”

“Uh, no. Not yet.” 

“Maybe that’ll grant us a little bit of grace. I’m sorry, but it’s really all we can do since there’s no other files or information.”

“Are you sure there’s nothing else we can do?” Yumu insisted. 

“No. Sector Five was our last chance and we’ve dug up as much information as we can.”

Aelita gave Odd a sad smile. “I’m sure you’ll make it a few more days, just a couple.”

Ulrich wasn’t so certain. He had seen him this morning as they had tried to get ready. Odd hardly managed to get out of bed, could barely walk to the other end of the school and had to take a break. He had a difficult time putting on a shirt and gave up with his hair.

Adrenaline from all the near death experiences and XANA attacks had let him keep up the appearance of decent health, but a few days had passed, and the toll was finally being taken. The effects were now truly appearing and worsening at a high rate.

He already seems too spent. Too fatigued.

Odd shrugged. “I’m sure I will. So what do we do in the meantime?”

Jeremie clicked his tongue as he glanced from the monitor back to the fellow blond. “For you, I recommend trying to exert as little energy as possible. I’ll keep in contact to inform you, but there’s not much else I can offer.”

“So we sit here and do nothing?” Ulrich asked, trying to keep the venom out of his tone. Jeremie blinked, startled, and it seemed his attempt was futile.

“There’s nothing for you too do. I’m sorry, but it’s really just us needing to recode, and, well...”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ulrich sighed. “I get it.”

“Jeremie and I will be skipping school for a while, so it will look less suspicious if you all attend like normal. We’ll feign sickness or some other cover story.” 

Aelita rubbed her eyes and looked over at Odd. “We’re going to do everything we can. We’re not going to let you die.”

Odd grinned brightly. “Of course. I’d rather have you Einstein’s on this than anyone else.”

Jeremie nodded, looking relieved yet burdened by Odd’s easy trust. “Thanks Odd.”

“Now let’s head back! I’m ready for lunch!”

“Of course you are,” Ulrich muttered.  
Yumi frowned. “I’m sorry, but I have to get home. Hiroki needs babysitting since my parents are at a meeting today.”

“Go on ahead. I’ll head out with Odd and you.”

Yumi nodded and began to head toward the elevator. Odd and Ulrich followed, and they quickly left the abandoned factory. They surfaced in the forest, slowly putting the sewer cover back on. Yumi waved a goodbye and fled in a different direction, leaving the two friends alone. 

Ulrich tried to walk to match Odd’s slow pace, and they fell in a sedated rhythm. He wasn’t certain what they were to do in the meantime, and it was a whole new ball game should XANA decide to attack. There were so many variables and events that could happen that would easily ruin everything. 

“So, how’re you feeling?” Ulrich asked, trying to get rid of the thick silence. It was peculiar for it to be this quiet when Odd typically chattered like a bird chirping in the early morning. Things have changed, he supposed.

Odd glanced up, and grinned softly. “A little worn out, but good. Still holding together.” A pause. “And you?”

“Huh?”

“How are you holding up?”

Ulrich wasn’t the one dying here. “I’m fine.”

Odd rolled his eyes but bent his head back down, watching his steps. “Hey Ulrich?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I guess I need you to do me a favor, for if I, ya know, do end up dead-“

“You won’t.” His voice was sharp and solid, more confident than how he truly felt.

“I know, but if I do... can you like, take care of Kiwi? My family never liked ‘im so they’ll get rid of him once I’m not around. I know you don’t like him, but...”

“Sure thing Odd.” He wasn’t going to die, and Ulrich wasn’t going to need to go through on his promise. 

“Also, can you apologize to my sister, Elizabeth? We got in a bad argument last time I saw her and now that I think about it, she was right.”

Ulrich nodded, absently picking on his shirt. “Of course.”

“Thanks man.” Odd seemed relieved, and while Ulrich didn’t like the way this conversation was turning, it was nice to see him relax slightly. “Also, since were roommates, I don’t really have a will or anything, so I guess take whatever you want.”

That made Ulrich stare at him. “Are you... trying to give away your things?”

“When- if I die. Take whatever you want. I don’t care.”

Ulrich shook his head. The idea of scrounging through his dead best friend’s past belongings was too much. “Stop thinking like that. You’re not going to die, I won’t be taking any of your things, and you’ll be able to apologize to your sister yourself.”

Odd nodded slowly. “Yeah. But-“

“Just. You’re gonna live, okay? There’s no need for this.”

“If I die, I’m gonna be haunting you and pulling supernatural pranks on you if you don’t follow through with your promises.”  
Odd would be haunting him in more ways than one if he did die. Ulrich shifted uncomfortably and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“If you die I’m gonna raise you back from the dead and then kill you myself.”

Odd laughed. “That’s fair.”

Ulrich grinned softly. “Damn right it is. Causing all this stress, it’s only fair.”

A silence lapsed for a few moments, interrupting their banter, and Ulrich turned to face Odd. He wasn’t walking alongside him anymore, and panic spiked through Ulrich’s body. He swiveled completely around, terrified and concern swimming in his mind and his eyes darted about like prey watching for a predator.

Odd was leaning against a tree a few feet away. He was staring blankly at the ground, his chest gulping in shallow breaths as he remained otherwise motionless.

It was drastic change from moments ago, where he simply looked tired but cheerful. Ulrich felt his stomach coil and the chilly winter air wasn’t what cause his hair on his neck to prickle.

“Odd? Hey, what’s the matter?”

Odd looked up at him, his eyes having a familiar hazy quality to them. “I’m about to have a Future Flash.”

Ulrich didn’t have time to say anything before Odd’s hands slipped from the surface of the tree. He started to stumble backwards, falling into himself like a marionette who’s strings have been cut suddenly, sharply ending their act. 

Ulrich rushed forward, his hands grazing the boy before gripping onto a good hold. He caught him just before he collapsed, and his eyes were fastened onto two blank, half lidded, chatoyant eyes.

Shit.

 

_“It’s only human nature to want to live.”_

_Odd blinked. The scene before him was foggy, as if a mist had settled across his vision and refused to move. Like he had ducked his head under the waves of the sweet ocean back in Italy, and the saltwater blurred his vision, refusing to let his eyes readjust._

_He could make himself out, standing on what appeared to be the bridge to the factory. He had never been more thankful for his tacky, brightly coloured clothing that made it effortless in identifying himself._

_There was another person, he couldn’t make out who though, and they had something in their hands. The him on the bridge spoke. “What do you mean?”_

_“You’re unable to win this battle in your condition, yet here you are, still attempting to fight for your life. You refuse to give up and make this easy.”_

_“I’m protecting my friends. Of course I won’t give up.”_

_“Ah, the morality you humans boast about.” The person began walking closer. “Your greatest weakness should have been anticipated to be exploited.”_

_The being lunged forward, and red splattered the cool grey cement of the bridge before Odd tumbled backwards. His hands really gripped the person’s clothing, struggling for balance, before he let go, and Odd watched as he tumbled off the ledge of the bridge, falling limply into the swirling waters of the merciless Seine._

 

Ulrich was panicking. Odd remained deathly still, and it looked as if he wasn’t breathing. He’s been unconscious for much longer than the last time he had seen him have a Future Flash, and it was unnerving him immensely. The only thing that calmed his frayed nerves was feeling his pulse; weak, but there.

Odd suddenly sputtered, his eyes opening and his back arching. He fell into a hysterical fit of coughs, hacking so profusely Ulrich though he was trying to get rid of his lungs.

He was trying to take in oxygen, and his actions reminded Ulrich of the motions of a man drowning. He continued to cough and Ulrich struggled for what to do or say.

“Odd, you need to clam down. You’re here, there’s plenty of air, you need to slow your breathing.” 

Odd glanced up at him, miserably coughing and Ulrich repeated his attempt at help. Odd’s eyes narrowed on him, and slowly, the coughs began to decrease in toughness and quantity.

His hand was over his mouth, but Ulrich watched as blood dropped off his fingers and onto his clothes. 

Odd struggled to sit up after his last cough let his system, and he leaned against the tree, breathing heavily. He gulped in as much air as he could, staring at his hand with an expression devoid of emotion and recognition to what he had just coughed up.

“Odd? What happened?” Ulrich needed information so he could know how to help.

Odd shakily began wiping his hand on the dirt floor, trying (vainly) to get the red lumps off his hands. He remained silent for a few moments before answering in a hoarse voice, “I had a Future Flash of me dying.”

Ulrich tensed and his brain froze open. Silence blanketed them as even the forest animals sensed the chilling tension between the two children.

“I don’t know... I was standing on the bridge at the factory, and I was with someone else. They spoke about morals and then I think they stabbed me and I fell off the bridge and into the Seine...”

The Seine. That made sense as to why he woke up breathless and acting like he was drowning. 

Ulrich remained silent as he listened to Odd rattle on. “I think it was XANA but I’m not sure. I mean, that makes the most sense cause he’s after me- or my energy- or whatever... But I don’t know when this happens or why or-“

“Are you sure?”

Odd looked caught off guard by the question. “W-what?”

“Are you sure you died? How do you know?”

Odd frowned. “It looked like I got stabbed in the lung. And...” He quietly trailed off, closing his eyes as a shudder went through his body. “It felt... different. And I could like, feel what was happening. I could feel the blood dripping and I could feel drowning and I couldn't possibly swim in those waves in the Seine because it was pretty wild that day and the current was too strong and-“

Odd took a deep breath. “I... felt it. I felt what it was like to die.”

Ulrich stared, and moments of uncomfortable, tranquil silence filled the air.

“I’ve been _dying_ to figure out how I finally go,” Odd finally joked, but he looked so tired and his eyes reflected the terror he was feeling and that joke was so weak and Ulrich knew that this was becoming extremely serious even to Odd. 

“This is... this is good?” Ulrich tried. “We can... work with this. You just... can’t go near the bridge any time soon...”

Odd frowned. “What if XANA attacks?”

“Stay as far away from the factory as you can I guess.”

“But I’ll still be an easy target cause I’ll be alone and...” Odd stared at himself. “Look at me. I can barely walk. I won’t be able to run away or defend myself.”  
Ulrich ran his hand through his hair. Shit. 

“We’ll just... let’s talk to Jeremie okay? Let’s... let’s do that. He’s got to have a plan?”

Odd nodded tiredly and shifted slightly as Ulrich started to pull out his phone. They were too far away from the factory; Odd wouldn’t be able to make the trip in his condition and Ulrich didn’t want to leave him alone. 

“Hey Ulrich?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t...” Odd frowned, as if this conversation was draining and too hard to continue. “I think... I’m tired...”

Ulrich raised an eyebrow before widening his brown eyes as Odd suddenly slumped to the side, his eyes closed. Damn it. Can’t anything just... go right for once?

His complaints would remain unheard since he was, at the moment, occupied with Odd’s fainting.

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I’d go ahead and post this since I had a chill day...
> 
> Ulrich is fretful, Jeremie is uncertain, Aelita is hopeful, Yumi is worried, and Odd is just so tired.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is devised, Sissi makes a come back, and Odd and Ulrich attempt another heart to heart (keyword: attempt).

Odd blearily opened his eyes and found himself staring into a familiar white ceiling. He knew where each crack and each paint bubble was, a plaster map engrained in his mind. He was in the nurse’s office.

He glanced over to his side and found a blur of green he had come to associate with a friend. Yolanda was in the next room, filing paper, and Odd blinked again before trying to speak.

“Hey,” he greeted.

Ulrich jumped and turned to face him, having been looking out the window. With a cheeky, half hearted grin empty of its usual sarcasm, Ulrich answered back, “Morning, sleeping beauty.”

“God knows I’ve been needing this beauty sleep.” Odd began to sit up, and Ulrich was watching him intently. “What happened?”

“You passed out. What’s the last thing you remember?”

Odd frowned, trying to grasp for his last few memories in the hazy recesses of his mind. “Let’s see... we were coming back from the factory, I had that Future Flash, you were calling Jeremie...” Odd frowned. “Yeah. You were about to call Jeremie.”

Ulrich nodded. “You passed out as I started to call.”

“How’d I get here?”

“I called Jeremie and Aelita came to help me carry you back to school. Jim saw us and delivered you here.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Two weeks.”

Odd squinted at him, suspiciously. “Really?”

“Naw. Just an hour.”

Odd sighed dramatically. “Darn. I was kind of hoping I had been. You said you called Jeremie. Did you guys come up with anything?”

Ulrich glanced uneasily toward Yolanda. “Can we finish this later? She said you’ll probably be out soon once she checks up on you again. She says you’re dehydrated.”

Odd snorted. “Sure.”

Ulrich nodded. “Yeah, it’s bullshit since we know what’s really going on, but still. We’ll meet after and I’ll tell you everything, okay?”

“Ah, has Della Robbia awakened?” Papers shifted as a file cabinet drawer was shut, and Odd could hear Yolanda’s crisp steps, her high heels clacking against the linoleum floor. He nodded at Ulrich and winked.

“Yeah, I’m here,” he answered.

Ulrich stood up as Yolanda came into view. “I’ll be heading out ma’am.”

“Go on ahead.”

 

An hour later and Odd found himself sluggishly dragging his uncooperative body down the dorm hallway. He leaned against the wall for support as he slithered toward his room, avoiding the pitying glances of students lingering around, their empathy unwanted as they watched him. 

Finding his room, he opened the door to see Ulrich laying on his back, textbooks scattered about on his bed. He leaned in the doorway for a moment before he felt the desideratum to lay down as the room began to spin in slow motion. He slunk across the room and Ulrich watched him with a neutral brown scrutiny as he draped himself on his own bed.

“Hey,” Ulrich greeted.

“Ready to give me that history lesson?”

“Yeah. Anyway, while you were out, I talked with Jeremie. We decided that the best course of action would be bringing you along in the Lyoko missions if XANA attacks. You’d be safer on Lyoko, and as long as we don’t let you go on the bridge alone, we should be able to stop whatever happens. Basically, in the real world, we’ll be doing a constant buddy system to make sure you’re not alone.”

Odd nodded. It sounded too easy, but he wasn’t going to argue. He was too tired too. “Alright.”

Hesitantly, “How are you?”

“I feel like I got ran over, which, I do know what that feels like.” He turned on his stomach to look at his friend. “Nothing new. Still tired.”

Ulrich nodded softly. “About that Future Flash...”

“I already told you what happened.”

“I know, but... are you sure you really died?”

Of course he didn’t want to really believe it. The virus within him felt superficial enough even if the occasional sense of dawning, inevitable death was on the horizon. Neither wanted this to be true, and Ulrich had no proof that maybe he hadn’t really died.

With a deep breath, Odd sighed. “I’m certain. There’s no way I survived that.”

Ulrich nodded. “I see...”

A silence fell on them as the conversation ended. It felt strange to talk about his impending death like this. He hated it.

Sometimes, Odd wondered if they really could prevent his death, even with how hard they tried. He’s heard of the theory of time being described as a body of water. You skip a rock in it, and it causes ripples on the surface; you cause a change in the water, and it has effects. But the ripples eventually fade and the water goes back to normal. Does that mean no matter what changes you make, time will always go back to the way it was? That the ripples created will eventually be placated and smoothed back into what it once was?

Was his fate fixed?

He groaned and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about that anymore. Those thoughts did more harm that good. He needed to be in bright spirits, not doubting his or his friends ability. 

It was rather late. A nap wouldn’t hurt...

A sharp tapping on the door caused his eyes to snap open. Damn it.

Ulrich sighed as he set a text book aside and slowly ambled his way to the door. Odd was too tired to even move a single muscle. At this rate, he won’t be able to even stand, and would have to just lie around.

Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad...

The door clicked open and Odd could hear the disgust dripping venomously in Ulrich’s voice as he said, “Sissi?”

“Hi, Ulrich dear.”

Odd groaned. Just what he needed. A migraine forming. 

“What the hell do you-“ He imagined him shaking his head “-Never mind. Bye.”

The door started to close and Odd heard a thump. He glanced over, shifting onto his side, and saw Sissi sticking her foot in between the door and the frame, creating a small crack. Ulrich looked extremely choleric and he was gripping the doorknob tight enough to where his knuckles were turning white.

“I’m actually here to speak to Odd.” Sissi sounded equally riled.

“Nope. Now let me shut the door.”

“No way. Let me in!”

“Leave us alone!”

“Come on!”

“If I talk to you will it make you leave quicker?” Odd called, tired of hearing them bicker. The migraine was worsening with each word.

“Yeah.”

Odd slowly began to sit up, practically dragging himself off the sweet embrace of the bed. This better be worth it. God, he was so tired.

Ulrich looked ready to protest, his churlish glare at the raven haired girl speaking volumes, but kept his jaw clamped shut. Releasing the door knob, he threw himself back into his bed. He looked ready to launch a book, and he was equivocal that the object was not going to be aimed at him.

Odd closed the door behind him with a soft click as he and Sissi stood outside of his room. She puckered her lips in a cross between a pout and the expression one makes after eating something sour, making Odd beginning to regret agreeing to this conversation.

“What do you want?” Odd asked, getting straight to the point as he leaned against the tan wall. His legs ached and craved to let him slide down the sheer wall to lay on the ground and not get up, and it was through sheer will power that he did not give in to his desiderate. 

“I’m sorry.”

The words forced Odd back to attention, his foggy mind snapping awake. “What?”

“I didn’t know you really got ran over.” She looked uncomfortable. “And I didn’t know it was... for Jeremie. So yeah. I guess, maybe, it wasn’t... I said some things I shouldn’t have.”

“You’re sorry? Like, actually sorry?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Not if you keep repeating it.”

Odd blinked. Had his conditioned worsened to the point of hallucinations? Didn’t Jeremie say that was a possibility? Was he dreaming lucidly, having fallen into a coma? 

“You don’t have to be so surprised.” Sissi tossed her hair, raven locks cascading and rippling like a waterfall. “Anyway, are you okay? You look ready to faint at any second, and I doubt your head needs anymore brain cells knocked out.”

Odd coughed. “Yeah, Yeah. Just sick. Ya know?” It wasn’t a lie, technically.

Why was she apologizing now? That incident was... well, a long time ago. Or was it? Maybe time just slowed down because he knew those days were numbered. It sure feels like a life ago though.

“Whatever. Don’t kill yourself.” She brushed the shoulder of her shirt and turned around to leave, her raven hair dramatically swaying as she sashayed away. Odd stared at her, watching as her retreating form began down the maze of corridors.

“Thanks,” he called out.

She stopped in her tracks. “What?”

“Thanks for the apology. You didn’t have to.”

She hesitated. “Whatever, Della Robbia. I was just passing by.”

She continued onward and he frowned at her words. Don’t kill yourself... how much did she know?

He nearly slapped himself. That’s ridiculous. She couldn’t possibly know anything. It was just a coincidence that her word choice earned against repeating his past actions.

Still.

He opened the door and found Ulrich staring at him. His friend is was slouched against the wall, his chocolate eyes widened at him in surprise.

“Were you eavesdropping?”

He coughed. “How’d it go?”

“I think you already know.”

“I’m going to go... finish my homework.”

Odd smirked as he laid back on the bed, watching as Ulrich shuffled to his side to crack open a book. He almost laughed at his friend’s antics, momentarily forgetting the shitty situation he was stuck in. It was nice.

He laid his arm over his head and closed his eyes. He could feel the humor that had bubble seconds a go quickly die. Every joint felt stiff, every muscle aches, and he felt a real migraine beginning to form. Tiredness ached in his bones as he settle do to the bed, but a nap wouldn’t come. His mind began swirling like a tornado, rapid thoughts bustling in and out, being processed too fast. 

_“He was a good person,” a voice murmured. Odd watched as Jeremie let out a cough before continuing. “He was extremely annoying, but he had a great sense of humor.”_

_The scene was blurry, white washing out the ends of his vision, clouding his sight like a breath on a window. Snow fluttered around a group of children, who were dressed in heavy winter gear. Whiteness covered everything, but it was obvious Ulrich was holding a shovel._

_“Let’s cut the bullshit,” Ulrich voice rang out. Ulrich stood next to Jeremie, angry flames burning in his eyes like a forest fire. Yumi was next to him, and theit heads tilted slightly to face the ground. Odd couldn’t see what they were looking at._

_“We’re gathered here today because some jerk couldn’t just stay alive,” Ulrich continued. “That jerk was a total asshole with a terrible sense of humor but...”_

_He broke off, and it sounded like he was crying. He wiped at his eyes, bending over slightly as he shivered. “I’d give anything to hear a joke again. Even those shitty puns.”_

 

The image was burned in his mind from rapid repeats of the Future Flash during all hours of the day, and a shudder raked down his spine. This scene was all he could think about lately, the strangeness and emptiness heavy on his mind.

For a long moment, he remained silent, before finally breaking the silence. “Hey Ulrich?”

He could feel Ulrich’s eyes dart to him, latching on, like a paper clip stuck to a magnet. “Yeah?”

He hesitated. He already got his attention, and Ulrich knew something was bugging him. There was no point in going back. “It’s really stupid, but... remember how I told you about having a Future Flash of my funeral?”

He could hear Ulrich stiffen, the atmosphere of the room beginning to shift. “I remember.”

“... you guys were the only ones there.”

There was a long moment of deep silence. Ulrich seemed to be uncertain.  
“... What do you mean?”

“Aelita, Jeremie, Yumi, and you were the only ones there. No one else. Just you guys.”

He opened an eye and saw Ulrich looking confused and uncertain. “... damn. Just... us?”

“Yeah. My own parents weren’t even there. I know I’m not exactly the most liked person at this school, but not even Milly or Tamiya?” He sighed. “It’s been bugging me for a while that no one showed up.”

“There’s... there’s got to be a reason for that.” Ulrich rubbed his face. “I mean, are you even sure it was your funeral? You said that we were gathered around a mound of dirt and insulting someone. You sure...”

“Completely. That Future Flash felt weird... not like the others. It... it was definitely after I had died. I’m certain.”

Ulrich frowned. “I don’t know why it’d be so empty then.”

Odd frowned, staring at the ceiling, avoiding Ulrich’s troubled earthy brown eyes. “Guess I have another favour to ask you for.”

“What’s that?” Ulrich’s voice sounded strained. 

“Make sure my funeral isn’t so barren.”

Ulrich gave a small, tight smile. “S-Sure. But there won’t be a need to since there won’t be a funeral.”

“Right.” Odd took a deep breath. “Never hurts to have a back up plan.”

“Since when did you start planning ahead?”

Odd laughed, and it wasn’t as hollow as he felt. “True. But... do you promise me?”

There was an indefinite amount of time that passed before he received a quiet, affrighted response. “Of course.”

Odd grinned genuinely for what felt like the first time.

 

A beeping shattered the sweet darkness and he released a loud groan. Shifting around, he glanced at the alarm clock, thinking that was the cause of the noise. 

The blinking numbers of five in the mourning gleamed back at him. He must have fallen asleep after talking to Ulrich, fulfilling his wish for a nap. He could hear Ulrich shuffle in the dark, his blankets being shoved aside and rearranged. A light shined briefly before Ulrich let out his own moan.

“XANA.”

The word jolted Odd awake and he sat up. They stared at each other for a while, realization settling around them like a foreboding fog. 

This could be it. This could be his last stand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ulrich is concerned, Odd is just so fucking tired, Sissi may not be a complete bitch, and XANA’s got shit timing.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fated encounter between, Jeremie, Odd, and XANA occurs.

The trip to the factory took longer than usual. Odd’s complete lack of energy and broken lung made running difficult, and frequent breaks were admittedly necessary. The possibility of riding his skateboard wasn’t even considered.

He had been extremely tempted to take up Ulrich’s half-joking, half-serious offer of carrying him.

Thankfully, they did manage to reach the factory in one piece. Yumi and Aelita easily beat them and as they now rode down the elevator, the girls were currently on their way to the tower. Odd had never been more thankful that there were no stairs here.

They quickly made their way to the scanner room, stumbling out as the elevator doors grinded open. They practically jumped inside the scanners, skin itching to defeat XANA before he could enact whatever plot he had in store. Before he could fulfil his fatal move.

A mechanical whirl hummed in his ears as the familiar blast of air swirled around him. He felt the mechanism slowly churn to life, and the lights became brighter before he closed his eyes. 

Suddenly, the humming began to fade and the lights slowly dimmed. The doors promptly opened, startling Odd, who had been leaning on them, and caused him to topple out. He hit the ground with a thud, his reflexes to catch himself failing, and he gave a soft groan.

“Odd! Odd! Are you okay?” 

Jeremie’s frantic shouting gave him something to focus on as a strange dizzy spell settled over his body. He sluggishly sat up, pulling himself together, before omitting a response.

“Yeah, I’m fine. But what happened?”

A sigh. “Your virus has corrupted too much of your body. The supercomputer doesn’t recognise you as Odd, and only identifies you as a virus, so it’s rejecting your transfer. You’ve been kicked out of Lyoko.”

Odd blinked. “It thinks I’m a virus?”

“Yep.”

How much... how much has the virus corrupted? How much of his body isn’t even his? How much of him has degenerated? 

He coughed loudly. “I’m going to meet you up there, I guess.”

Jeremie grunted in response, probably busy trying to help the team. Odd dragged himself away from the scanner, a feeling of uselessness beginning to form. He couldn’t protect Aelita, he couldn’t help the team, and he certainly can’t defend himself or Jeremie from a XANA attack. What was his purpose now?

He exited the elevator, frowning. Jeremie glanced up to face him, his glasses reflecting the light illuminating from the computer monitor. Odd plopped down beside him, his body aching from moving so much. He just wanted to go to sleep, but part of him feared that he wasn’t going to wake up.

“You feeling okay?”

“Tired, but good.” His lungs burned, his chest ached, his stitches singed his skin, and all of his bruises and scratches felt inflamed.

Jeremie frowned at him, sighing softly. “I see.”

Odd wondered what he knew.

Jeremie went back to typing, focusing on the task at hand. The teams icons blinked faintly, and Odd listened as he guided his friends to the tower. “Head north east.”

The icons began moving in the ordered direction. Silence filled the room, with the exception of a soft humming from the super computer. He leaned his head against the computer, listening to the steady rythme of clicks as Jeremie typed.

Suddenly, the clicks began to move more rapidly. “Guys, XANA’s trying to kick me out of the system. Your vehicles might-“ There was a groan, followed by a deep sigh- “devirtualize. I’m doing what I can.”

The clicking increased in speed immensely, and Jeremie seemed to be concentrating solely on the keys. His fingers gracefully moved as lines of code appeared on screen. A digital coding battle had begun. Huh.

A few moments later and Jeremie struck his hands on the keyboard. “Guys! Are you there? XANA’s kicked me out!”

The symbol of XANA appeared on the screen, blinking dauntingly in the darkness of the otherwise unlit room. Static flooded the quiet air and Jeremie slammed his headphones on the table top. 

“Shit,” he murmured.

“They know which direction to go. It’ll be fine.” Odd tried to be optimistic. It’ll work out. They’ll save the day, he won’t die, and everything will be alright. They have to.

Jeremie blinked, staring at Odd for a long moment. “Yeah. They’ll be fine.”

A long silence passed between the two blinds, uncertainty in the air of what to do. They both were useless now. But at least Jeremie could stand without getting dizzy.

Jeremie heard it first.

His head swivelled toward the elevator door, and Odd stared at him in confusion. A soft, grinding sound met his ears, and Odd’s eyes widened in realisation. Someone was coming down the elevator.

Jeremie got up, his hands clenched into fists, uncertain if he should be ready to fight or ready to commit a return to the past. Odd gritted his jaw, not at all liking these odds. Jeremie had little experience fighting specters, and Odd was out of commission. There was no way this showdown was going to be having a happy ending.

The doors opened in a slow motion fashion, and Odd was waiting for his life to flash before his eyes. Jeremie took a defensive stance, his fight or flight response finally making a decision, and Odd took a deep breath.

Sissi Delmas appeared before them, her hands on her hips, her body cocked just so. 

For a split second, Odd relaxed. Sissi must have followed him and Ulrich, noticing their escapade. They’ll just have to reset using a return to the past, and she was just a minor inconvenience, a small annoyance that won’t actually amount to any damage.

Her eyes flashed the XANA symbol, and that sense of relief was replaced with a dread forming a pit in his stomach.

She stalked forward, like a predator hunting her prey, and Jeremie instinctively stepped back. She grinned manically, her mouth stretched slightly too wide to be considered normal.

“You’re in my way,” she simply greeted, her voice having a mechanical lit to the nastily pitch they were all accustomed to. Jeremie blinked, resuming his defence stance.

“Too damn bad.”

“I always knew you were out for blood Sissi, but this is ridiculous.” Odd rolled his eyes to compliment his statement. He was thoroughly ignored by Sissi, as she continued to step forward, cautiously.

Suddenly, she launched herself at Jeremie, and he had no time to dodge. She pushed him to the ground, wrestling on top of him and her fingers flickered with sparks of electricity. Jeremie freed a hand and sent a right cross, his fist colliding with her cheekbone. She hissed, her grip on him slackening enough for Jeremie to wriggle free.

He kicked her stomach as he pushed himself away, splaying himself on the ground before pushing himself back up. Sissi shrieked as she attempted to shoot him with a lightning bolt, and narrowly missed his shoulder. She jumped up, preparing to launch herself again, and Jeremie grabbed a metal pipe. 

He swung it like a baseball bat, but Sissi easily dodged his clumsy swing. Her fingers crackled once again, her hand reaching out to grab the metal pipe.

Jeremie’s ocean eyes widened in realisation, but blue sparks danced along the metal before he could let go. Electricity coursed though Jeremie’s body as he was electrocuted, the metal conducting the energy and he collapsed to the ground, staggering. 

She grinned and grabbed his head before he could fall all the way, and smashed it against the wall. Once. Twice. Thrice-

A piece of scrap metal hit the back of Sissi’s head, causing her to turn around.

“Hey XANA! Pink is so not your colour!”  
Odd tightly grinned the metal piping he held, prepared to throw another projectile. He couldn’t let XANA take out Jeremie. He couldn’t let him have access to the supercomputer, where he’d delete Ulrich and Yumi and then leave Aelita all alone so that Scyphozoa could get to her. 

Slowly, Sissi let Jeremie go, and he dropped to the ground with a sickening thud. Odd’s stomach lurched at Jeremie’s limp movements. He’ll be fine.

He threw another piece of metal at the specter, aiming for the face. She dodged, the shrapnel narrowly whizzing by her ear.

She sighed loudly as she began stalking toward him, shaking her head. “What do you hope to accomplish, Della Robbia?”

It was strange to engage in a conversation. Typically, XANA’s spectres didn’t speak, or only a word or so. 

“I want to protect my friends.”

XANA continued to stalk forward, and Odd continued to back up. He was being backed into the elevator, he knew it, but he couldn’t stand his ground.

XANA did not respond, cocking her head to the side as if contemplating his answer. Odd hit the elevator wall, his back pressed into it, and the space between them began to close.

“I thought self preservation was more important to you humans.” 

The statement surprised Odd. Sissi entered the elevator, her head less than half a meter away from him. The doors closed behind her, and he knew she had done so intentionally. He was trapped.

“You’re talking to the wrong guy here.”  
He almost began laughing. Self preservation? That had flown out the window a long, long time ago, even before the Future Flashes. 

XANA blinked, then grinned. “So you have a... death wish? Let me fulfil that for you.”

Her hand struck out against his nose- he was certain she had broken it- causing his head to bang against the wall from the force, a dull pain angrily tingled under his skin. He pulled to the right as she attempted another punch, and he ducked.

His hand pressed against a button, and he could feel the shaking of the elevator as it began to acsend. Sissi pouted as she repositioned herself, and kicked Odd’s knee. He sunk to the ground, trying to suppress a yelp, and dodged another punch to the head. 

The doors opened and Odd fell out, his head hitting the ground. Sissi grabbed his hair and bashed his head against the floor, his skull rattling. Before she could go again, he kneed her stomach and struggled to get free.

She grabbed for his neck, prepared to strangle him, but he twisted into his side. His stitches burned in response, and he groaned before pushing himself away with another kick. His heel dig into her chin and shoved her back as he crawled away.

He quickly got up, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He began to run, needing to formulate a proper plan. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to fend off Sissi for long.

Sissi chased after him at superhuman speeds. He darted down the corridor, trying to find a way to slow her down.

He shimmied up the side of a platform, climbing to reach the top to the next level of the building. She climbed behind him, sticking to the surface like a spider. A black widow, trying to catch him in her web.

He reached the top first and continued to sprint. His body was on autopilot, his nerves feeling shedded and his brain too occupied with pain to cognitively recognise what he was doing. He ran and ran, his legs slowly melting to a shaking Jello.

He hoped he was buying enough time for them...

He turned behind to face Sissi, who was rapidly gaining on him. The surroundings finally clicked, recognition easing into his mind, and his heart stopped.

He was on the bridge.

The split second hesitation gave Sissi the upper hand. She jumped on him, slamming his body to the ground. His brain committed summersaults as his skull crashed into cement, and for a moment he was seeing stars. He had to keep fighting.

He can’t give up now.

He struggled under her hold as she’d wrapped her fingers around his neck. He began coughing, his lungs rattling against his ribcage, fighting for breath. He struggled as much as he could, her grip like iron. No. It wasn’t time.

He was not going to die here.

He kicked her stomach once again, biting her arm that had plastered itself over his mouth as she strangled him. She retracted herself, and he used that to his advantage. He pushed himself away, scrambling to move, to stand up.

She pushed herself up, and the two faced each other, wind blowing as the atmosphere suddenly shifted. Odd wiped the blood from his nose, a dull throb from his broken bone.

She reached down on the ground, picking up a broken piece of scrap bel that layer strewn across the bridge. She stared at it before looking back at him, and Odd noticed how close they were to the edge.

“It is only human nature to want to live.”

“What do you mean?” Was she trying to continue the conversation from before?

“You’re unable to win this battle in your condition, yet here you are, still attempting to fight for your life. You refuse to give up and make this easy.” 

“I’m protecting my friends. Of course I won’t give up.”

“Ah, the morality you humans boast about.” She began walking closer. “Your greatest weakness should have been anticipated to be exploited.”

She lunged forward, but Odd had been anticipating this action. He dodged and rolled to the side, kicking her shins as he moved. She lashed out and caught herself, grinning madly as her hand reached out to grab Odd’s hair. He held back a yelp as his hair was jerked out, and she grabbed his arm, twisting too hard, and a loud snap resonated in the air. He howled in pain as his broken arm was pulled, and she yanked him into her chest. She wrapped an arm around his neck, the piece of metal floating above his heart.

He couldn’t feel her breathing, maybe because she didn’t, but he could feel her skin crackle with electricity.

“You’re Future Flashes gave you the ability to predict my moves,” she whispered. “But did you forget that I gave you that power? Did you forget that I am inside your head, too? That at this moment, you’re more virus than you are human?”

XANA was... inside his head? No. XANA... his virus was in his brain, but he couldn’t possibly know his every movement, predict his every action...?

“You knew I’d try that action, but you didn’t know what would happen after I did.”

He could feel her grin into his neck as the sharp piece of metal pricked his skin, the sheen of silver glinting in the sunny sky.

“I gave you that power. Now I’m taking it away.”

He twisted around slight to face her, his eyes narrowed as they made eye contact.

“Any last words?”

He spit on her, little globs of blood splattering on her cheek. “I’ve been dying to finish this.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

Her blade pulled back before the sharp metal punctured his skin. He felt the cold metal shred away his skin, his muscles, and felt her twist it as it began to hit his most vital organ.

Blood pooled and spilled down his chest, irregularly spurting out. The blood came out with each pump of his heart, pushing out the red liquid in time. His brain became foggy, his eyesight going hazy, and his chest ached. 

She let go of him, and he collapsed, his knees buckling, his head swimming.   
He grabbed her shirt, his hand weakly grasping at the pink fabric before his fingers gave up. He fell backwards, a rush of cool air ruffling his hair and billowing his lose clothing.

He heard a scream, someone calling out his name. His brain was too muddled with pain- his arm screaming, his stitches blazing, his lungs burning, his legs aching- to truly recognise the voice. Jeremie?

His head hit the surface of the water, a loud splash echoing in his ears. Water rushed around him at all sides, and the current began to sweep him under, pulling him down like he was nothing more than a rock.

It reminded him of his summer days in Italy. The ocean swirling around him, roaring in his ears. His sisters dunking his head in to the water to see how long they can keep him under. Pulling him out last second to keep him from drowning, and repeating, repeating, repeating until they got tired of bullying him or the sun was shining too bright or they got hungry.

Water swirled around him just like in Italy, seeping into his clothing, his hair, his ears. Pulling him under, calling for him to take a small break.

He couldn’t help it.

As the murky waters began to fade to a soft black, a lucid smile quirked his lips upright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie tried his best, XANA is a dramatic hoe, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita are driving blind, and seems pretty dead. But is he really?


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie, Ulrich, and Aelita have some explaining to do...

Blood smeared across the concrete ground, staining the grey cement a deep scarlet. It dripped from the edge of the piece of metal still clutched in the spectres hand, each drip splattering against the floor. Sissi stood at the edge, staring down at the swirling river below, grinning manically as she twirled the piece of shrapnel in her fingers.

He had awoken a few minutes ago, disoriented and the world hazy, trying to adjust. However, after the dizzy spell had passed, he had noticed a lack of Odd, and with memories of the spectre’s fight with him and Odd’s account of his death, he frantically abandoned the factory...

Arriving just in time to watch XANA break his best friend’s heart, and shove him into the watery, dark abyss of the Seine.

He screamed, loudly, shrieking Odd’s name in a hopeless attempt to get a response, to receive reassurance that he was actually fine, alive, and well. That he hadn’t really been brutally murdered right in front of him. 

It was so stupid. What had he been expecting? That Odd would miraculously recover from being stabbed in the heart and be able to speak to him?

Silence rang in his ears as the water lapped against waves, spraying the charcoal underbelly of the bridge. 

He watched helplessly as Odd tumbled through the air, completely limp. Would he be dead before he even hit the water? Or would he drown in the river, unable to swim back to the surface?

As soon as he was submerged in the roaring river and pulled under, he had a feeling he wouldn’t be coming back up for a long, long while. Even with a functioning heart, the current was too rapid, too strong. Jeremie couldn’t even swim in that river, and he had years of experience on his side.

Sissi’s eyes slowly wandered to his, empty, and she would have appeared proud had XANA the capacity to feel. Jeremie felt waves of nausea hit him full force, and he gagged, putting a hand over his mouth as the scene began to truly sink in.

As their eyes met, he quickly turned on his heels to flee, fight or flight kicking in, adrenaline pumping to fulfil the later option. He had to hurry, uncertain as to how much time he had left (if any).

If he was quick enough, if he inserted those experimental codes, if he went back far enough, he might be able to stop this nightmare...

He reached the computer room, his stomach lurching as he nearly rammed straight into the group of teens surrounding the computer. Yumi Ulrich, and Aelita must have just deactivated the tower, and came up to check on them. Too late, too late, too late...

He pushed past them, ignoring their confused and concerned expressions. No time for explanations. He had to be quick, precise. Only one shot at this...

He frantically began typing his codes, his fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard. Clicks filled the air, and mumbling was heard. Voices were speaking to him, but they amounted to white noise as he focused on the task at hand.

He slammed his finger on the last key. He didn’t speak, remained silent as the white flash began to envelope the small group. He hoped to god his attempted fix of the return to the past code would work, that Odd hadn’t died just yet, that it hadn’t been too long...

 

Ulrich opened his eyes and found himself leaning on a sturdy, thick oak tree. The sun lit the bright sky, clouds scarce and few. The area was dead silent, radiating an eerie atmosphere that didn’t match the cheery weather.

He was back in the forest.

Memories of Lyoko and the factory flooded him. They had just defeated XANA and deactivated the tower after an onslaught of monsters had attempted to take them down when they found Jeremie and Odd missing. When Jeremie had finally arrived, he had pushed them out of the way and ignored them as he frantically typed on the computer. He looked desperate and petrified.

Jeremie had programmed the return to the past to go over twelve hours ago. Why?

The fresh smell of blood clogged his nostrils and his heart clenched. His stomach churned as his brain went through worst case scenarios at the realisation.

Something went wrong while they were in Lyoko. 

He didn’t want to move his eyes that were focused on his phone, his back turned away from his friend. He clenched the device in his hands, remembering what time they were now at. He had been about to make the phone call to Jeremie. 

He didn’t want to see what he surmised was there. Oh God, he couldn’t...

Reluctantly, and with immense will power, he slowly tilted his head to look next to him.

Odd Della Robbia laid on the ground, silent, passed out from just having his final Future Flash. 

Ulrich let out a sigh of relief, and turned completely to give the boy his full attention. Thank God, they had deactivated the tower on time, they weren’t too late...

He screamed as he processed the full image before him.

Blood pooled around him (oh Hod- his foot- his shoe- was soaked in his blood from crouching next to him- oh God), stained his bright clothing a deep, rusty red. A tear in his purple shirt revealed a crisp, gaping hole in his chest where the red liquid oozed out of. His hair was matted and wet, blood smeared in some of the sticky strands.

His nose was crooked- broken- and blood dribbled down his cheek as more blood from his mouth slunk down his chin. He had bruises bloosoming on his face, some purple, some blue, some green. His teeth and lips were stained a bright red, his mouth turned slightly in a lucid smile. His eyes were empty, the chatoyant feature of his pupils no longer slitted. They reflected Ulrich’s frantic face and the trees above him like a mirror, devoid of emotion or life.

His arm was laying in an unnatural position, clearly broken. Bone jutted out from the skin, revealing ivory white from paper white skin. It was the same arm that had been broken all those weeks back, when it had first started, when he had been hit by that car. 

His body was soaked in water, drenched. He looked strangely bloated. Water trickled down his skin, the brown dirt around him turning a rusty mud from the combination of water and blood.

Ulrich quickly turned his head and didn’t fight the nausea. He vomited right that instant, next to the tree, heaving his breakfast and dumping whatever contents he had. 

Tears streamed down his face as he finally ran out. He turned his head back to his friend and leaned toward the boy. Decay had not set in- he must have recently died.

They had barely failed to save him.

There was a small discrepancy that made Ulrich’s blood freeze. Odd had said he was stabbed in the lung in his Future Flash, but here his heart was clearly at the receiving end of the stabbing. It was a minuscule, probably pointless detail that Ulrich couldn’t help but notice despite it’s pointlessness.

Odd must have changed the future somehow, in a useless way.

Whatever he did, it didn’t change the fact that he was staring at a dead body. He failed in the long run.

He grabbed Odd’s shoulders, shaking him as hard as he could. No. Odd wasn’t actually dead. The vivacious boy he knew and became friends with couldn’t be. It didn’t make any sense for him to be. A person so radient and full of life couldn’t just suddenly... stop.

No. He wasn’t actually dead. It must be a stupid prank. It had to be. 

Ulrich continued to shake, unable to stop the tears trickling down his face. It was just a prank. “Don’t you dare fucking be dead! Don’t you dare pull this bullshit! Wake up! This isn’t funny!”

Odd’s eyes remained closed, his head lolling around, his body limp like a rag doll. It was as if he had been some sort of puppet whose strings had been snapped, who could no longer properly function. He was a broken marionette doll, no longer able to serve his purpose.

“You fucking promised! You promised! You can’t be dead! I thought you said you always keep your word! You can’t be dead! You have to take care of Kiwi! You have to apologise to your sister! You have to help us fight XANA! You have to be an idiot who cheers us up! You have to fail your test and forget your homework! You have to flirt with more girls! You have to be my asshole friend and make shitty jokes so I can yell at you! You have to be alive!”

Ulrich shivered as he felt the water begin to seep into his clothes, damp fabric sticking to his skin from touching the admitted corpse. He shrieked as he wiped his puffy eyes, staring at the dead body. He can’t fucking be...

Footsteps approached him, but he didn’t even care. The possibilities of who would be coming didn’t cross his mind. He didn’t care who saw him, who heard him.

He was fucking dead.

He heard a strangled screech and the sound of someone collapsing, leaves crinkling loudly. He turned to face Aelita and Jeremie, looking out of breath, eyes bulging, bodies shivering.

Aelita was frozen, her hands over her mouth. Her green eyes had tears gushing out, cascading like a waterfall. She stood perfectly still if not for a soft shaking, her legs looking ready to buckle on her at any moment. 

Jeremie was kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He hit the ground with his fist, repeating the motion multiple times. “I was too late. Oh god, I was too late. It didn’t work... it didn’t work, I was too late...”

The silence that followed was indescribably painful. The epiphany that came with the discovery of his friend’s body made Ulrich want to throw up once again.

They had all failed.

Their primary mission, to keep him alive, was ruined. He was dead. They had truly, truly failed.

Odd had been wise to have back up plans.

“We need to...” Aelita choked, her voice breaking, and it took her a moment to finish. “We need to do something.”

“What? Call 112? What would we even say?” Ulrich was exasperated. What the hell were they supposed to do? What the fuck do you do when you find your best friend has been killed by a supernatural force?

Jeremie wiped his eyes, sniffing slightly. “Odd went out for a walk. He hadn’t been back for a while, so we went to look for him. We found him here.”

Ulrich clenched his fist. “Look at him. He’s been murdered, and the police are going to rule this a homicide. That story is flimsy at best and they won’t be able to catch the person who did this.”

“We can’t just leave him here for someone else to find!” Aelita insisted, bitting her nails.

Jeremie looked uncomfortable. “Well... we could.”

“You want to abandon his body in the middle of the woods?” Aelita and Ulrich stared at him.

Jeremie held his shaking hands up. “It’s not ideal.” His voice quavered. “I don’t want to, but what choice do we have? What can we do?”

All three stared at each other, fear coursing through their veins. What could they do? What options did they have? Telling the police that their best friend was murdered by a sentient, homicidal virus was out of the question. Calling the police would cause so many questions to be asked...

And they needed time. To come up with a proper story. To figure things out.

...To mourn.

Ulrich stared at the body behind him, purple and red searing into his vision. Damn it.

“Okay,” Ulrich whispered.

Aelita swerved her head to face him. “You want to leave him here?”

“What choice do we have?” Ulrich rubbed his face, a migraine forming.

She faltered, tears begging to drip down her face once again. “But what if people see us leave the forest? They’ll know we were here. It will be suspicious if we walked out and then they find... find... him... later.”

“We’ll...” Jeremie faltered. “We’ll call 112.”

Ulrich stared at him. “What?”

“Aelita’s right. Its would be suspicious if people saw us leave the forest and then find Odd hours later in the same place, who had been dead for nearly as long. It’s best to get this over with. Let’s just...” He took a deep breath. “Let’s get this over with.”

He dug in his pocket, either not noticing Ulrich’s phone that was still clutched in his hand, or simply didn’t care. He punched in the three digits, setting the phone next to his ears.

There was a long silence as Jeremie stared at Odd’s body, his chest slowly rising and falling being the only indication he wasn’t a statue. Ulrich wondered what he was waiting for. Finally, he spoke.

“My best friend is dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes. He’s actually pretty dead. But anyway, like the sort of full circle the end line created?
> 
> Odd’s literally dead inside and now out, Ulrich is scarred, Aelita is fearful, and Jeremie tries to stay logical.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids are left in the aftermath and try to cope.

_Yumi frowned as she found herself in the kitchen once again, her hand hovering over a bag of flour. Jeremie’s return to the past went back rather far this time. He had been extremely frantic. She wondered why._

_She left the kitchen and picked up her phone. She shot him a quick text, hoping he would respond, and settled on the couch._

_Hiroki was playing on his game boy, whining about being stuck on a certain level. She rolled her eyes at the loud volume, but didn’t bother to comment. It’d be a waste of time and she was too tired to deal with his antics._

_She turned on the television, flipping through the channels until a few minutes later, a certain headline caught her eye._

_“Breaking news at Kadic Academy. A local student has been found dead in the forest next to the famed academy. Names of the student have not been released, and his friends have refused to give a statement.”_

_The remote fell out of her hands, dropping to the ground with a clatter. Hiroki glanced up, confused._

_The camera zoomed in on a group of teenagers talking to a police officer. Their clothing gave them away to be Jeremie, Aelita, and Ulrich, even though their faces were blurred out._

_That meant..._

_She bolted from the living room, rushing down to the front door. Hiroki yelled after her, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying, blood pumping too loudly in her ears and her heart thumping against her ribcage._

_She slammed the front door closed as she ran out into the street. She hoped she was wrong in her assumption. She had to be. There was no way..._

 

His death was ruled a homicide. 

Ulrich, Jeremie, and Aelita were found clean and the suspicion of being the murderers clear. It was a relief when they crossed them off; Ulrich couldn’t handle the idea of being accused of his murderer (because in a sense, he supposed he was). Fear of the killer gained traction the longer the police weren’t able to find them.

His body was stationed at the local morgue, having recently underwent an autopsy.

Ulrich didn’t know what to do with any of this information. His best friend was dead, lying in a morgue, his chest split open. 

He refused to sleep in his dorm room that night, and spent the next two nights in Jeremie’s. He didn’t want to be reminded of their failure with the empty silence that mocked him. Or the empty space on the bed next to him.

Two days ago.

Two whole fucking days. 

The school had tried to contact his parents, but they were either deliberately ignoring their desperate calls or too busy to answer. They were the reason Odd was still in the morgue, nobody certain as to what to do with his body. Ulrich couldn’t believe the fact that they were too busy for their now deceased son. 

They were going to clean out his room in another two days, according to Jim, or as soon as they hear from the Della Robbia’s. 

He slumped against the wall, his head resting against the pillow. He laid on the bed, staring blankly out the window, listening absently to Jeremie. Aelita sat on the floor, her face empty, and Yumi sat next to him, her jaw tightly clenched.

“XANA hasn’t attacked yet,” Jeremie whispered. “I’m assuming he’s planning something big.”

“He had just struck a huge blow to us,” Aelita murmured. “He should be relishing in his accomplishment.”

“I’m going to kill him,” was all Ulrich offered.

“We need to be prepared for another attack. He’s not going to be giving us a break, or at least not without a reason.” Jeremie took a deep breath. “I assume he’s storing up power now that he doesn’t have a living battery to take from.”

Ulrich shivered at that. The blond had explained the entire situation before Odd had died to them, the limited knowledge giving them enough insight. Odd had fought XANA to be a distraction from whatever he was planning on doing, and had lead him to the bridge where they had their final confrontation. It amazed Ulrich that Odd could even fight XANA in his condition let alone last as long as he seemed to have.

“Yeah,” Yumi answered, staring at her boots.

The room went silent, as nobody knew how or truly wanted to continue the conversation. However, nobody made a move to leave.

A rapping on the door suddenly shattered their mournful mood. Jeremie hesitated, not at all wanting to face whomever was there. Nobody moved a muscle, and Jeremie finally took charge.

He opened the door, and Ulrich narrowed his eyes at the unexpected visitor. William stood awkwardly in the doorframe, biting his lip. Jeremie stared at him blankly, waiting for an explanation, not even offering a greeting.

“Hi,” William tried, before wincing at the dead looks he received. 

“What do you want?” Yumi asked.

“I just...” He put his hands in his pockets. “I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“Odd.”

“We don’t want your pity,” Ulrich angrily stated, feeling his blood boiling. 

William blinked. “It’s not pity. It’s empathy. They’re different.” He paused. “I guess you’ve probably got a lot of condolences already, and you’re probably tired of them, so I’ll make it quick. I know you guys were really close with him, and well, he didn’t deserve whatever happened to him. And you don’t deserve any of this. And it sucks to lose a best friend.” 

He coughed, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “I know I wasn’t really- at all- as close as you guys, but I think we were pretty decent friends with each other. And I guess, well, if you ever want to talk, I’ll be here. And if you don’t, that’s fine, but, yeah.”

He nervously shifted his weight, and began to leave. Ulrich’s anger disappointed as he understood his intentions. He was just trying to be a decent guy.

“Thanks,” he called out. William looked up, and gave a sad smile before nodding. He left the kids alone again, and Jeremie shut the door. They stared long and hard at each other, uncertainty in what to do, what comes next, or what step to take.

It was a long while before the silence was broken again, each contemplating William’s appearance among other things.

“We should... hold a funeral or something for him.”

Ulrich stared at Yumi, taken aback by the suggestion. “We can’t. They won’t move the body until Odd’s parents-“

“That’s not what I meant.” She sighed. “A private funeral. We couldn’t properly say goodbye at an actual one, what with Lyoko being a secret. And I think it’d... help.”

“Like, we bury something of his and say a few words?” Aelita asked, leaning forward to face Yumi.

“If you guys want to, that is.”

“I... I like it. It’d be a private ceremony.” Jeremie took a deep breath. “Maybe it would help.”

Yumi looked at Ulrich and Aelita expectantly. “Well?”

“It’s a good idea,” Aelita murmured. Ulrich nodded in agreement. Yumi propped her chin on her hand, frowning.

“Then what should we bury?” 

“We could... go through some of his things in my room,” Ulrich suggested. He didn’t want to ever go back in that empty room, but maybe it’d be okay with the others.

Jeremie nodded. “Let’s go.”

Sluggishly, the small band of children moved from their spots, slowly filing out of Jeremie’s dorm. They crossed the hall and dread was heavy over each of them as they quickly found Ulrich’s room. Ulrich opened the door and went in first, hoarding the group into the enclosed space.

“What... what should we bury?” Aelita was staring at his bed, her body stiff and refused to move from her spot at the door frame. The group uneasily glanced at each other before scanning the area.

“Something... meaningful?” Yumi offered up, staring at a pile of laundry.

They racked their brains, trying to recall some item of importance. What could they bury that was meaningful?

Suddenly, the lump on Odd’s bed began to shift, and Kiwi’s head popped out form under the unmade covers. He peeked up at the sight of the ground, bounding off the bed and quickly moving to meet them. His tail wagged as he circled around them, searching for something. Someone.

He was looking for Odd.

The dog whined as he cocked his head, clearly confused. He looked thin and Ulrich knew that he hadn’t been fed since they had departed toward the factory early that morning, two days ago.

He ran up to him, staring at him, wanting answers as he jumped on his leg. Ulrich didn’t have the heart to push him back.

“He’s not here,” Ulrich murmured. The dog continued to stay put, not understanding. “Get off Kiwi. He’s not here.”

The dog remained and Ulrich finally pushed him off, angrily stomping away. Kiwi tried to follow him, low pitched whining filling the air. He pulled on Ulrich’s pant legs, and Ulrich snapped.

“He’s not coming back! Odd’s dead! Leave me alone, okay? He’s not coming back!”

The dog cowered from him and bolted away, curling up under the bed. Ulrich stared at the dog, listening to it whin as he took in what he had just yelled. He really was... dead.

Yumi slowly put a hand on his shoulder, silently offering her support. Ulrich shook his head and rubbed his eyes, trying not to cry. Now wasn’t the time. He can do that later. 

Right now, they had other things to accomplish.

 

A few minutes later, and Jeremie glanced up from his spot near Od’s bed.

“How about his sketchbook?” Jeremie held up the book in his hands. 

“That could work,” Aelita agreed.

“Where should we bury it?” 

“I guess in the forest. It’s fitting, yeah?” Yumi offered.

Ulrich didn’t want to go back there, but it made sense. As long as they didn’t go anywhere near that police tape, that blood stained foliage... he could make it.

“Alright. Let’s get our coats on.” Jeremie was staring out the window, frowning. “It’s snowing.”

“I thought it wasn’t supposed to for another two weeks?”

“A cold front appeared last night and I guess it was supposed to rain today.” Aelita paused. “I guess it was a surprise snowstorm.”

Ulrich clenched his jaw, scuffing the ground with his shoe. Damn it. It was all coming together. Odd’s Future Flash wasn’t of two weeks in the future, it was barely two days.

The team separated as they left to grab their winter belongings. Yumi followed Jeremie, having left her coat in there, and Ulrich was left alone. He stared at the empty room, rage boiling under his skin. This couldn’t truly be real? Right? It had to be some sort of nightmare he had concocted. He’d wake up and find Odd snoozing away in the other bed, snoring loudly like always. This wasn’t actually real.

He grabbed his jacket and sighed. He’ll wake up sooner or later. Just play along. 

They met up at Jeremie’s room, somberly standing near his door. Aelita appeared last, her pink coat too bright for such a somber occasion but nobody made a comment on it. They glanced at each other once more, before deciding to get to work.

 

They arrived at the forest, the trip feeling indescribably longer than usual. They had stopped by the garden shed to grab a shovel, and had thence made their way to the plot of land past the school. Every step made Ulrich’s stomach coil tighter and tighter as the risk of vomiting again became ever present.

Aelita picked the spot to bury it, next to a tree stump in the edge of the woods. They were far, far away from the real scene of the crime, where the burial should probably be, but nobody argued with her. Nobody wanted to.

So they dug a small hole, piling the dirt in a small mound. The digging was Ulrich’s job since the hole was too small to warrant switching out people, to take turns. Jeremie placed the sketchbook inside, softly and gently, as if he had been holding fragile glass. Ulrich began to fill the hole again, watching as the pages began to turn a soft muddy brown.

When he finished, a long silence filled the icy winter air. Nobody knew quite what to say or do. What do you do at a mock funeral?

“I guess we should say something,” Yumi started, frowning.

Jeremie coughed, looking uncomfortable. “Like a eulogy?”

“Yeah,” Aelita whispered. “I guess so.”

Ulrich watched they remained silent. Nobody really wanted to start.

Finally, Jeremie kicked the ground and spoke. “He was a good person.” Jeremie let out a cough before continuing. “He was extremely annoying, but he had a great sense of humour.”

Snow fluttered around the group of children, who were dressed in heavy winter gear. Whiteness covered everything, beginning to settle over the band of teens, even over Ulrich’s shovel.

“Let’s cut the bullshit,” Ulrich voice rang out. Ulrich stood next to Jeremie, listening to his every word. He didn’t want to hear them wax about how great he was. Anger was bubbling under his skin, a violent fire that refused to be put out ever sense he had seen Odd’s corpse.

“We’re gathered here today because some jerk couldn’t just stay alive,” Ulrich continued. “That jerk was a total asshole with a terrible sense of humor but...”  
He broke off, his voice cracking as tears began to spill from his eyes, dripping down his cheeks. He wiped at his eyes, bending over slightly as he shivered. “I’d give anything to hear a joke again. Even those shitty puns.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Jeremie muttered. “I hated him when I first met him, but I guess we kind of bonded, and I began to hate him less, and now... we’ll... He was one of my closets friends. I actually kind of liked his admittedly shitty puns.”

“Yeah,” Aelita murmured. “I thought he was really showy and too proud, but after I came to Earth and really got to spend more time with him... we became really close, and I really liked him. He treated me like I was actually his cousin... and it was nice to feel like I had a family.”

“I haven’t spent as much time with him as you guys,” Yumi started. “Not really. I also thought he was an asshole, and still do, but for different reasons than before. We were... rather opposite, so we clashed a bit, but I’m glad he was my friend. He was always there to cheer things up. And yeah, I liked his shitty jokes too.”

They stood there, listening to the wind howl as the storm began to slowly pick up. They weren’t in a hurry to leave, no longer caring. Snow swirled around them, dusting them, covering them like a blanket. Cold numbed them, but Ulrich already felt numb before the storm had settled in.

They stared at the ground, uncertain of where to go from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say, from the bottom of my heart...... Yikes.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie discovers something terrifying when XANA attempts another attack...

They weren’t back in school, not yet. They still had a few days before they were required to attend, to have straightened up and morned. 

It didn’t stop them from hearing the rumours.

His classmates and fellow peers didn’t speak to him. At least, not at him. But they did speak about him, when they thought he couldn’t hear, when his back was turned, when they thought they were alone. Rumours spread like wildfires, and sympathy for the dead and the ones living in the aftermath quickly disappeared after the first day, burning up in the fires of rumours and hushed whispers.

“He was trouble,” they would whisper. “Reckless and an idiot. He was bound to die young. He was bound to get himself killed.”

The official reports said he died from the stab wound (Jeremie was glad. Frowning always seemed like a terrible way to go, not that this was much better). Yet mocking whispers and rude comments could still be heard about the halls, still believing that the exuberant blond must have done something to deserve that fate, to have somehow deserved being murdered.

Maybe it was to cover up their terror. Their fear. They would say that he had it coming to make them feel better, so they didn’t have to worry about the killer coming after them. That it was his fault. To reassure them that life wasn’t so fragile. That it couldn’t just... disappear. Their string couldn’t simply break for seemingly no reason. That a child wouldn’t die at the hands of another for no reason.

Even the teachers seemed on edge and terrified. He heard their mourners behind closed doors, empty halls, and telephone calls he wasn’t supposed to hear. They were afraid, and they took the same route as the school children.

“I always knew he would die young,” they would state to one another, “Maybe not this young, but he had it coming.”

He had it coming.

The worst sentence to hear out loud, however, was, “He deserved it.”

He had heard a girl say it one morning, as she was talking to her friends at lunch, unaware that he and the rest of the group were nearby. He watched as Ulrich went livid at her, and pounced. All the brunet could see was red as he pulled at her hair, screamed at her, hit her. 

Jeremie didn’t try to hold him back, and simply watched.

He didn’t deserve it. He was reckless, yes, he was an idiot, yes, he was trouble, yes! He was all those things but so much more. 

Nobody deserved to have to chose between self preservation and the end of the world or self sacrifice so that his friends could survive. No one deserved to have their heart split in two, to be drowned in a river, to be murdered at such a young age, to have nearly died of a virus that gave them visions of future deaths, only to have their heart crushed and broken. 

No one deserved that.

-

It was two days after their mock funeral before they heard from XANA again.

Jeremie had been hoping for at least a small amount of mourning time, but it seemed XANA really did have no concept of mercy. Maybe he didn't realize the extent of the blow he had placed on the warriors. Or maybe he did, and was hoping to use that to his advantage.

He didn't want to go back to the factory, to cross the same bridge he watched Odd's heart get broken and the tossed into the Seine where the boy drowned. He didn't want to enter the factory that housed the evil that had committed the aforementioned tretrious act. He could tell nobody else wanted to either.

But when the alarm on his computer went off just as they were about to help Jim clean out Ulrich's previously shared dorm room, he knew they had no choice.

And so they went.

The ride through the sewers was silent to the point a pin could have been dropped and it would have rivaled the sound of a drum. The tension was thick, and no knife could slice through it.

They ran across the bed, and Jeremie couldn't help but stare at the same spot he saw Odd stand. He could see the crimson stain splayed on the surface of the bridge, could see the blood dripping from that fatal piece of metal, could see Sissi's twisted, unnatural grin, could see the body being pulled under the current and could feel his lungs dry from screaming himself hoarse and-

"Jeremie?"

In a snap, the memories faded, and the crimson stain disappeared. He took deep gulps of breath, realising he had stopped mid run and had been blankly staring at the edge of the bridge.

He shook his head and continued to run. Now was not the time to relieve the recent past nor get swept up in emotions. 

Now was not the time to be stuck in a web of regret.

He reached the computer room as the elevator grinded open and watched as his friends somberly disappeared behind those brass doors. Now they could all be transported to Lyoko at the same time, since there were an equal amount of warriors per scanner. He wanted to throw up just thinking about it.

As quickly as he could, he virtualised the warriors, no longer bothering to narrate his actions. He watched as the cards were downloaded and icons appearing on screen, showing he had done his part correctly. 

He murmured the direction for the band of teens to go in, and watched as their icons began to move. Staring at the screen, he waited for any sign of XANA's henchmen, prepared to play guard until then.

A loud clatter roused his nerves. It was from the upper level just above the computer room. XANA's latest attack?

He ignored the noise in favor of pulling up a web browser. He sifted through the current and breaking news, hoping there was an indication of what XANA might be preparing for them. There was nothing noteworthy, missing persons reports, the belongings of a person in a morgue having been stolen, and reports of arsony in the other side of Paris. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Another loud clatter filled the air, and Jeremie could feel his anxiety go through the roof. Fear coursed through his veins as to the cause of the noise, of XANA's plans, of failure. His body tensed and he remained still, the only sound distinguishable in the icy air was the sound of his beating heart.

What did XANA want-

Another loud clunk, this time sound directly overhead from his position. Should he stay put? Should he move to check out the source of the problem? For all he knew, it was simply a small rodent. 

He hesitated and checked the monitors. There wasn't anything there- as far as he could see, the coast was clear. Still, he needed to stay put in order to keep them safe from surprise attacks.

As if reading his mind, a large pop up appeared on screen Jeremie's eyes widened as he frantically began to type, the clicking of the keys breaking the icy silence. XANA was attempting to take control once again, and his rapid typing was beginning to outpace his own.

"Guys, XANA's attempting to kick me out of the system again. Stay on alert and don't be surprised if we lose contact."

He fought as best as he could, but XANA was easily wining. Within a few minutes, the eye of XANA was flashing on the monitor, signalling Jeremie's defeat. He angrily slammed his earpiece down, the static that filled the air now removed from his line of hearing.

Another loud clatter shattered his moment of sullen anger at losing yet again to the encrypted firewalls. He froze, and listened for anymore noise. 

XANA was probably trying to lure him out and spring a trap on him. It had to be the case.

He didn't really have anything left to loose.

If he ignored the spectre for too long, it may get bored waiting him out and come to him anyway. Then, it may attempt to get into the super computer to delete Yumi and Ulrich to have free reign over Lyoko. He may be able to kick Jeremie out, but he still couldn't get into the programming without manually overriding his programs, which needed to be done on the super computer itself, not from within.

Curiosity always did kill the cat anyhow.

He left his chair, slowly inching toward the elevator doors as he debated the logistics of this move. It was a lose-lose situation no matter how he looked at things. The doors opened with much groaning and Jeremie stepped inside, waiting to be whisked away to certain doom.

He left and glanced around the upper level. It was eerily silent, not a single breath of the racket he had heard before hand...

CLUNK!

There! To his left!

He swiveled around, spinning on the heels of his foot to face his culprit. He nearly screamed at the sight before him.

Standing right in front of the bespectacled boy was a fellow blond himself.

Odd.

"Hey Einstein, ya missed me?"

Jeremie was petrified from absolute surprise. He was stunned, confused, terrified- so many emotions flitted through his mind as he stared at his best friend. He was alive. Oh God, he was alive!

His mind finally analysed and took in the image before him, and his brain screamed a different story and he wanted to faint, to scream, to cry, all at once.

Odd grinned at him, his mouth stretched slightly too wide to be natural. His teeth were stained a soft red, his lips cracked, and his nose was crooked, blood clotted up his nostrils. His hair was matted and caked with blood, and his eyes were empty, chatoyant orbs staring blankly at him despite the smile.

His arm dangled strangely to the side, unnaturally limp and seemed longer than the other. His clothing was in tatters and stained with deep scarlet blotches.

But biggest of all was the gaping hole in his chest, where blood clotted.

Jeremie screeched as he backed away, his mind numb. “What the hell are you?”

“Hey man, not cool.” Odd pouted. “I’ve been dying to see you.”

The pun, admittedly, almost convinced Jeremie the realness of the situation. Oh god, was he hallucinating? Were his hopes and fantasies becoming real before his eyes in this morbid appearance because of his twisted mind? 

“What the hell are you?” He repeated, quieter this time. He stopped backing away, and stared Odd head on, waiting nervously for a response.

“I’m Odd Della Robbia! You’re best friend?” He titled his head. Water dribbled out from his ears, and he watched as tiny pools formed on his purple top. “Ring any bells?”

Jeremie sputtered, the water reminding him of the Seine and the events that occurred barely four days ago. He averted his eyes, nausea rolling in his stomach as his head began to swim. 

“Odd, you’re dead.”

It was the only response he could provide. What else was he supposed to say?

Odd shook his head. “Jeez Einstein. It’s not that hard. I _was_ dead.”

Jeremie stared at him. Maybe... he had implanted his experimental coding he had made when they thought they had time to fix the return to the past correctly and it worked. Maybe it had just needed to take some more time than usual to be effective. Maybe...

He was real.

Jeremie slowly began to inch backward, watching as Odd blankly stared at him. It wasn’t right. There was something seriously wrong with his ‘friend’, but he couldn’t explain his revival from the dead. XANA couldn’t...

Unless he was simply possessing his body.

Like a puppeteer guiding a marionette, he was simply pulling the strings. Odd wasn’t there. It was a shell that was housing the homocidal virus.

Jeremie’s stomach rioted and began to turn summersaults. He wanted to throw up at the idea. XANA didn’t take enough pleasure in simply murdering his friend, so now he was going to wave his victory in their faces, show them how much they had failed?

But still... maybe there was a chance...

Jeremie slowly bent down, picking up a steel pipe. Odd’s grin stayed planted on his face as he stared, and Jeremie’s nerves were beginning to fray.

He suddenly began to grin despite himself as an idea formed. He knew how to tell if he was really Odd.

“Okay,” Jeremie began. “You say you’re my recently deceased friend?”

“Duh.”

“Then prove it.”

“How so?”

“When you die, what do you want done with your body?”

If XANA truly did house Odd’s body, he shouldn’t have access to his memories. He was using him as a shell, and the virus shouldn’t be capable of doing much else.

Odd stared at him, and his grin faltered. Hesitance laced his features, and no matter how subtle they were, Jeremie couldn’t help but notice the small details.

Odd’s grin increased again as he stated. “What else? I want to be buried.”

Jeremie sighed, and began to hold the pipe like a baseball bat. He left a dramatic pause hanging in the air, watching his smug confidence in his answer.

“Wrong.”

And with that, he swung at the shell that was imitating his old friend.

 

_It was late at night. Jeremie was sitting silently in the blue chair, his legs crossed in a comfortable position as his laptop sat on his lap. The light from the scene illuminated his face and his glasses in the darkness of the room._

_Odd laid on the bed next to him, asleep, probably dreaming of girls or food. Or both. Jeremie never could and never would understand what was in his head._

_It was a night after finding the strange virus in Odd’s head. He was currently analysing the data gained from their last trip on Lyoko, and comparing it to their first. Maybe seeing the two sets of data would show what parts have changed and what had stayed the same._

_“Hey, Einstein?”_

_The bespectacled boy glanced up to face Odd, surprised by the voice. He thought he was asleep. “What’s up?”_

_Odd was staring at him, a hazy, dreamy quality misting over his eyes. He wondered if Odd was truly awake, or if he was sleep talking._

_“When you die... do you want to be cremated or buried?”_

_Jeremie felt his breath stop as his blood went cold. Scenarios of different situations flirted through his mind. Was Odd trying to tell him something with this? Oh fuck, was he-_

_“Calm down,” Odd ordered. “Don’t go jumping to conclusions here. I’m not... suicidal or anything. I was just wondering.” Before Jeremie could think of anything to say, Odd frowned. “It’s a stupid question. Sorry Jeremie. You don’t have to answer.”_

_Odd never called him Jeremie. It was almost always some variation of of his nicknames._

_“I want to be buried.” It slipped out before he could even think of stopping himself, and when he saw Odd’s face light up, he was glad he didn’t think it through._

_“How come?”_

_“I guess for the more traditional sense.” He hesitated. “Why do you ask?”_

_Odd stared at the ceiling, the hazy quality in his eyes settling over again. “This virus... almost dying from the car and all the other incidents... it reminded me of a poem I read about a man having his ashes thrown over the ocean or something after being brutally murdered.”_

_Jeremie nodded, feeling slightly sick at his last few words. He watched him carefully, before proposing, “And you?”_

_“Huh?”_

_“Do you want to be cremated or buried?”_

_Odd blinked, looking extremely surprised. Slowly, a soft smile spread on his face as his lips quirked. “That’s a good question. I’d say cremation.”_

_“Why?”_

_“I guess... for the poetic aspect.” He closed his eyes. “When I was younger, I’d always go to the beach. I loved it there. I think I’d want my ashes spread over the Mediterranean Sea. Return back to what I love.”_

_Odd suddenly blushed, looking embarrassed. “Sorry. That was weird.”_

_Jeremie laughed. “I’m used to weird after being with you. I guess I’d probably be buried here. Paris feels like my home. But I don’t think I’d have a choice in the placement.”_

_Odd nodded. “Yeah. I probably won’t be cremated. My parents don’t believe in that. But still...” He paused. “If I end up not making it for some reason-“_

_“Don’t talk like that-“_

__

_“Hear me out. Just. Could you please ask my parents to do that? To cremate me?”_

__

_Jeremie gulped. This was a huge obligation, a huge promise to make. Could he tell his mourning parents how to proceed?_

__

_Odd hesitated, and stuck out his hand. “I’ll tell your parents to bury you here.”_

__

_A long silence ensued._

__

_Jeremie stuck out his own and they firmly shook hands, Odd’s grip weak from being so sick. Slowly, Jeremie nodded._

__

_“I promise.”_

__

_He never intended to need to go through with it._

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again......... yikes.
> 
> I keep comparing Odd to a puppet. I guess we see why, huh?


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie and the spectre have at it, and Ulrich makes a fatal mistake.

Jeremie watched in a slow motion lens as Odd side stepped his attacked. He swivelled on his heels to face the shell, anger boiling under his skin. XANA couldn’t just let things be, he couldn’t simply let the dead be dead, he had to go pull this bullshit to prove some sort of point.

How dare he? How dare he not only murder his best friend, but refuse to let him rest in piece? How dare he wear his face in some sort of ironic twist of fate? 

“You figured that out quicker than anticipated,” XANA cheerfully chirped. His too wide grin seemed to stretch even wider as he watched him with those dull, expressionless eyes.

“And you’re getting on my nerves quicker than anticipated,” Jeremie bit back, preparing to strike again.

“Calm down,” XANA chided. “Humans and their emotions. They always seem to drive away good judgment. You do realise those heightened emotions were what killed your friend, yes?”

Jeremie only saw red as he let out an angry screech. He swung his bat again, this time nicking the shell’s cheek. It didn’t even faze the other blond, and he frowned as he took another step back.

“How volitive. However, I’m not here to lecture you on your deteriorating state of mind. Aren’t you at least a little concerned that maybe your friend is still alive? That maybe he’s still inside this body?”

Jeremie didn’t hesitate. “Shut the fuck up. He’s dead.” He wound up his arm.

“How harsh.” He side stepped Jeremie’s next attempt to crush his skull. “What if I told you he was?”

“I don’t give a fuck about what you have to say. You murdered him. What you have to gain from bringing him back?”

“Fair point. In all honesty, it would just be humourous to watch you run yourself ragged while going in circles to try to figure out how to raise the dead.”

Jeremie was ready to snap. “Shut up and fight you asshole!”

Odd’s face melted into smug conviction. “As you wish, Einstein.”

“Don’t call me that you freak!” He continued to swing at the smaller boy, prepared to knock the lights out of the cocky virus. “Stop imitating him!”

XANA shrugged his shoulders but didn’t respond. They stood across from each other, and Jeremie could feel the flashback of the stand off between him and the XANAfied Sissi that had attacked him and Odd all those days ago. 

A silence stretched between them, the dramatic stand off irritating Jeremie slightly. He wanted nothing more than to bash XANA’s skull, no matter the fact that he was in his best friend. His anger was peaking, and he finally understood how Ulrich always seemed to feel.

Finally, XANA made the first move.

He jumped forward, pushing Jeremie down to the ground. Jeremie grimaced as his heat bounced off the cement before stabbing his pipe up. The blunt end of the metal pole hit Odd’s chin, and he was able to shove the blond off of him.

He rolled to his side, quickly trying to distance himself. Odd rubbed his face as he repositioned himself to a crouch, watching as Jeremie pushed himself up. He shook his head, causing more water to fly out in little beads from the spectre’s head, causing Jeremie’s blood to freeze.

He glanced around, trying to think of a plan and to avoid looking at XANA as Odd began to inch closer. He knew that he couldn’t actually beat a spectre, no matter the circumstances, and simply hoped to God that Yumi, Aelita, and Ulrich would hurry with their deactivation process.

Odd suddenly lashed out, his closeness surprising Jeremie as his foot impacted with Jeremie’s knee. Jeremie stumbled backwards as Odd leaned into him, winding up his arm before sending a clear right cross to his cheek.

Jeremie dodged another punch, feeling the air rush as the first swung just above his head. He slammed the metal pipe into Odd’s chest, forcing him backwards. The spectre had begun to back him into a corner, and he knew that he couldn’t afford to get trapped in an enclosed space.

Odd jumped back up and Jeremie swung, aiming for his face. He missed and Odd was grinning manically as he kicked his foot, the his body twirling as his leg shot out and his foot hit him square in the chest. Jeremie coughed as he was winded, air refusing to go back into his lungs.

Odd sent another kick his way, this time grazing the side of his head as Jeremie attempted to dodge the blow. He winced and tried to roll out of reach, but Odd lashed out his arm, grabbing Jeremie’s hair.

The spectre pulled Jeremie toward him, and Jeremie feared that his arm would be pulled out of his socket. Odd let his close the distance as they were barely and inch apart before he pulled his head back and his forehead bashed against Jeremie’s. He recoiled from the head butt, seeing stars as he collapsed to the ground like a pile of Jangas.

Odd towered over him, grinning as he lowered himself to face Jeremie. “What a shame,” he purred. “To have to kill such promising intellect.”

Jeremie huffed, unable to properly respond as he waved his bat. He shoved it up in the air, attempting to hit some part of XANA with reckless abandon. The pipe struck his arm, and Odd was pushed off of him as Jeremie struggled to get up.

He twirled his baton like weapon and Odd tutted, clicking his tongue. Before he could make any move, Jeremie sprinted away, trying to form a plan before XANA gained too much of an upper hand.

He listened to the sound of footsteps follow him as he attempted to flee. He found a ladder and began to climb, not caring where it went so long as it carried him away.

XANA shimmied after him as he reached the upper level, that too wide smile stuck on his quirked lips. 

He chased him as Jeremie continued to run. All he had to do was buy himself some time so the others could deactivate the tower...

A body slammed into him and he lost balance, his body smacking the wall as Odd leapt at him. The shell had easily caught up to him, and not for the first time did Jeremie curse his lack of athleticism.

He struggled under Odd’s iron grip, his hands pushing his shoulders down in an effective spin. He squirmed and tried to move, feeling as if he was wrapped in a cocoon as XANA straddled him. Briefly, Odd’s hands lifted themselves from his shoulders only to wrap around Jeremie’s neck.

His lungs protested as he began to run out of air. He chocked and gagged as Odd began to press too tightly, threatening to crush his neck, or to snap it at the rate he was going.

Panic coursed through his veins. He couldn’t let this monster win. He refused.

With as much energy as he could muster, he kicked his legs in an attempt to push Odd off. The spectre let go of his neck as his feet hit his ribcage, one of his knees folding into his thigh.

Jeremie took this opportunity to push him off and quickly stood up, his legs feeling like jelly. He wound up the bat before swinging, the metal pipe slammed into Odd’s side. XANA staggered backwards, and Jeremie watched as the figure fell off the edge.

He clawed the air, grasping for anything to hold onto before free-falling for a split second. Jeremie watched in horror as the blond’s body hit the ground with a very loud crunch, his arm and leg splayed in an unnatural, crooked way.

He climbed down the ladder, rushing to meet the body. Fear courses through his brain even as the logical part of him screamed to leave, to turn tail. The idea that he had killed his friend- even if he was simply a shell- spiked terror in his veins and froze his blood.

He stopped a few feet away, not wanting to get to close.

Suddenly, the body began to twitch. He watched in awe as the spectre began to stand up, his leg bent strangely, his arms now dangling limply and matching in length. His neck was turned to the side and something was jutting out. Jeremie’s stomach stirred the more he looked at the walking corpse.

With sickeningly loud snaps, Odd straightened out his broken bones. Jeremie watched as they were put back into place, and he put his neck back in place to face him, the sickening crackling sound burned into Jeremie’s eardrums.

“Nice try,” XANA stated calmly, that too wide grin perched on his face, smugness easy to identify.

He pushed himself off the ground, launching himself at Jeremie. The blond’s surprise became an exploitation as XANA easily gained the upper hand. He pulled his hair as he grabbed his head, and Jeremie felt a sense of deja vu tingle.

XANA slammed his head against the pavement, and he could feel his brain rattle around in his skull. He yelled as he repeated the motion, his thoughts becoming hazy. However, he enough sense left to kick his leg once again, his foot straining Odd’s thigh, and his other leg hitting the spectre in the gash over his heart. Blood oozed out of his injury as he stumbled away, and bright red pulps were attached to the soles of his sneakers. Jeremie state don his feet, his head feeling like mush.

He was certain he had a concussion, and could feel his thoughts become slowly.

Before either could retaliate, a voice that screeched disbelief shattered the silence that had called over them.

“Odd?”

 

Ulrich had fallen out of the scanner, anger boiling under his skin. Damn it!

He had been taken off guard by a Krab and had lost his final few, precious life points. They hadn’t even come across the tower yet, and since Jeremie hadn’t been around to warn them, surprise attacks were extremely common. Now it was all up to Aelita and Yumi. 

He wandered up to the computer room, hoping to be able to be somewhat useful. Jeremie’s got to be doing something since he had been kicked out of the mainframe, and certainly he could use some help.

Instead, he was met with an empty room. 

It was eerie to see that the blond boy was missing, and Ulrich’s stomach didn’t take to the idea either. Flashbacks of four days ago, when he and the group had arrived to the computer from after deactivating the tower, only to find it strangely empty, tugged at his nerves as his anxiety went through the roof.

He continued to travel to the next level up, hoping he would find Jeremie before it was too late. Idly, he wondered what XANA’s attack even was.

He exited the elevator and had wandered down the hallway a few meters before laying eyes upon a sight he had least expected.

Odd and Jeremie stood across from each other, staring each other down.

His heart leapt in joy.

Odd was alive!

“Odd?” He shouted as he began to run toward the shorter boy, excitement coursing through his veins. He pumped his legs as fast as he could, the need to see his friend greater than any other feeling of paranoid and weariness that tugged the back of his mind.

He was alive! He was alive!

His mind repeated that phrase, over and over again. He didn’t think of anything else, didn’t anticipate any other situation. Jeremie must have done something, must have fixed some codes and brought him back.

He was alive!

Odd turned to face him as Ulrich gained distance between the two, moving too fast for Jeremie to get in a word of warning. He jumped onto the boy, nearly making the other stumble backwards, Odd’s hands grazing the ground before he stood back up. Ulrich pulled him into a tight hug, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“You’re alive?” He murmured.

“Oh good buddy,” Odd answered back. “I always told you your emotions would be the end of you.”

Ulrich’s joy turned into confusion before he felt a sharp pain in his side. He pulled away from the blond, not understanding what was happening as the burning sensation began to spread. Odd grinned at him as he sank to the ground, and that’s when he noticed it.

Odd had his hand extended, holding something that was protruding from Ulrich’s side.

Odd had just stabbed him with a piece of metal he must have grabbed from the ground when Ulrich nearly toppled him.

It was then that he noticed the blood stained teeth and cracked ruby lips, the water dripping from his ears, the tattered purple clothes dotted with scarlet stains, the broken arm that hung too low and uneven, and the gaping hole in the boy’s chest, just over his heart, that was beginning to bleed out again.

Ulrich sputtered, trying to ask the millions of questions on his mind, blood dribbling down his chin. He collapsed onto his back, the pain in his side and from betrayal nearly making him black out.

“Ulrich!” Jeremie’s voice hung in the air, but Ulrich remained silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie finished what he started, and Ulrich reflects the feature of the return to the past.

Jeremie didn't even recognise what was happening, the motions blurring before his eyes until he watched Ulrich fall, flat on his back. He screamed as he processed what was happening, fear coursing through his veins because- oh God- did he just watch another friend get killed right in front of him?

He rushed over to Ulrich’s side, frantically searching for any sign of life. He felt for a pulse and breathed a sigh of deep relief- he was still alive, his pulse faint but still pumping.

Odd was watching them, emotionless eyes blankly settles on the two. For a brief moment, Jeremie saw something flicker across his face. It was brief, and Jeremie couldn’t identify the emotion he saw, if it had been anything more than his imagination.

His focus went back on Ulrich as he tried to shake him awake. The metal was no longer in his side, Odd clutching it with a deathly tight grip in his hand, and Jeremie knew this wasn’t looking good. He knew that stab wound was mortal, and that he was going to bleed out before Yumi or Aelita could deactivate the tower at the rate they seem to be moving at.

Ulrich’s eyes fluttered open as he took a deep breath. “Oh shit.”

“You could say that again. Stay awake, Ulrich. I need you to stay conscious, okay?”

Ulrich blinked, and frowned. “What are you going to do?”

He glanced over at XANA, who remained uncharacteristically motionless. “Finish what I started. Now stay still, and stay awake.”

Ulrich didn’t have time to protest before Jeremie dropped him, alleviating his crouch position to face the spectre. He wiped his forehead of blood, smearing the liquid away from the cut on his head as he put up his fists in a defensive stance.

Odd stared at him for a long moment before that too wide grin spread over his face. “He’ll die soon, anyway. By my hand or another, he was bound to end up dead soon, just like any other human.”

“You already murdered Odd. I won’t let you take anyone else.” He couldn’t. He couldn’t let this monster have another body to wear as a second skin, to have as a mask to use as he committed treacherous acts. He couldn’t let him stain anymore names.

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice. He doesn’t exactly have that much time.”

Jeremie glanced down at Ulrich, watching his pained breathing. Sweat glistened on his forehead, his face twisted in pain. He really didn’t have that much time, he observed, blood pooling around him as it slowly seeped into his green clothes and dripped down his sides.

Jeremie didn’t know what to do. Ulrich was going to die, and there was nothing he could truly do. If he waited too long, Ulrich would be too dead to save. He couldn’t ignore XANA, however...

Fuck.

Jeremie stared down the spectre, watching his opponent as he tried to sort out the situation. There was, of course, one option he could go through with, but he had no idea what the consequences would be. The risk was enormous, and he wasn’t sure it was worth it.

However, if he failed to get Ulrich the medical treatment in time...

Jeremie took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. They had never done that before, and so the outcomes had so many possibilities and probabilities. But it was his only choice.

“You’re right.”

XANA seemed surprised at that statement. “Of course I am. I’ve studied the human capacities. He’s going to die, and soon.”

Jeremie took another gulp of air. He made his choice.

He was going to initiate a return to the past.

He didn’t know what would happen if he did that while XANA was still active in the real world. But it was their only choice, their only hope...

He spun around on his heels, and broke into a dead sprint. The spectre was startled by the abruptness of his departure, and Jeremie hoped that his head start would be enough to beat the shell.

He slid into the elevator, slamming the button to shut the doors. It was as if time slowed down as the doors moved, and he watched as Odd chased after him, gaining distance rapidly despite the upper hand Jeremie had.

XANA’s hand shot out, stopping the doors from closing all the way. Odd pushed the doors open as he stepped inside, and Jeremie knew that he was trapped. An enclosed space was a terrible place to fight in, but as the doors slide closed behind him, he knew he had no choice.

Odd kicked his shin, catching the other blond off guard, and Jeremie sank to the ground in pain. The effects of a possible concussions began to catch up with him as a dizzy spell washed over his body as he collapsed to the floor. He couldn’t tell if the strange motion he was feeling was from the room spinning or the elevator actually functioning, but he didn’t have much time to ponder over it.

Odd kicked his rib cage as he laid on the ground, and Jeremie felt spikes of pain shoot up his side. At this rate, he was going to be beaten to death before he could reach the super computer if he didn’t do something.

Jeremie groaned as he pulled himself up, the next of XANA’s kicks clipping his arm instead of his kidney. He stood up wobbly, his legs aching as he dodged a punch XANA attempted to blow. He hoped the doors would hurry up and open.

Thankfully, they did, and the two blonds spilled out of the elevator. Jeremie toppled out and tried to keep balance as Odd immediately resumed the fight, striking him in the gut. Jeremie doubled over, and gave XANA an opening as his foot connected with Jeremie’s legs.

Jeremie fell to the ground, his head spinning, his eyes loosing focus. He was so close. He couldn’t stop when he was barely a few meters from reaching his goal.

He tried to crawl away until XANA’s foot pushed on his back, his sole crushing Jeremie’s spine as he put his full weight on him. He felt the air from his lungs be forced out, and he choked as his lungs angrily tried to suck more oxygen back in.

Shit.

He couldn’t die now. Not after all of that hard work to fight XANA, not after Odd had risked his life and lost the gamble to save him and the others, not when he had a friend relying on him to save his life. He couldn’t stop now. 

Odd’s foot was beginning to suffocate him, and he could feel bruises bloom from the intense pressure. “Well, well, well. Looks like I’ll be crushing you like the insignificant insect you are.”

Jeremie continued to struggle, ignoring the spectre as he tried to form a plan. Ulrich was counting on him. And in a way, so was Odd.

He turned his head to face XANA, maniacal smiles and stony eyes greeting him as he tried to readjust himself. He clawed at the ground, trying to find something, anything, to use as a weapon, even if it would only be a momentary shock. There had to be something here...

His nails scraped over a large bump, and he grabbed it, desperation clinging to him like static electricity on a dry winter’s eve. He gripped it tight, took a deep breath, and swiveled back to face XANA. He struck his leg with the piece of metal that had been broken off during the fight, the metal seeping into XANA’s skin.

The spectre grimaced as he lifted his foot, and Jeremie felt a rush of air fill his lungs. He scrambled to get up before resigning himself to a crawl, trying to pull himself away from XANA before he completely recovered. He reached the super computer just as Odd punched him in the cheek, stunning him as he stumbled backwards.

He grasped for the top of the chair, trying to keep his balance as he dodged an attempted kick. Shit.

He ducked another swing but was shoved back as Odd utilised his opening. He fell to the ground, his head slamming against the arm of the chair, and little black splotches dotted his vision as he crumbled to the ground.

He felt a rush of air blow at him and his instincts took over. He rolled to his side, attempting to move away, but was a fraction of a second too slow. He screamed as a piece of sharp metal punctured his arm, and felt as it was twisted into his muscles.

XANA had pulled the metal out of his leg and used it to his advantage.

Jeremie felt white, searing pain travel through his veins as panic coursed through his body. He could feel the blood begin to spill and XANA pulled the metal out of his arm, and wound back to stab him again. Shit. Shit. Shit.

He felt woozy as he watched XANA’s arm stretch toward him. It was as if time had slowed down yet again, and the world around him sluggishly halted. He closed his eyes, fear taking hold as he tried to dodge the attack but knew his reflexes had kicked in too late.

He waited for the next puncture, waited to be stabbed, to possibly be killed just like Odd with his heart split in two.

It was several seconds when he realised something wasn’t right.

It was several more when he heard a loud thump, and a weight suddenly pressed against his chest.

Odd collapsed to the ground, his strings cut, his limbs now in his control, the puppeteer’s act was finally over. Jeremie gagged and wanted to scream as Odd’s blood smeared on his sweater, water dripping slowly down his cheeks, as those empty, no longer chatoyant eyes stared blankly into his.

The girls must have deactivated the tower.

So now...

Jeremie hesitantly shoved the corpse off of him, nausea vengefully rolling over him. Odd rolled to the side, deathly still, making a sick thump as his body hit the floor.

Jeremie dragged himself up, his head spinning from the concussion or the sickness he knew not. He pushed himself toward the controls, his body shaking as he felt ready to pass out at any moment.

He pressed the key as his legs buckled. He collapsed to the ground, landing next to Odd’s body as the supercomputers soft humming sparked to life.

He stared at the corpse, his mind numb with horror, and almost didn’t notice the world fading to white.

 

Ulrich blinked, surprised to see his surroundings suddenly change. He was sitting on Jeremie’s bed, Aelita to his left and Yumi on the floor to his right. Jeremie sat in front of him, looking dazed.

Instinctively, he reached out to touch his side, waiting to feel the blood and the deep gash. Instead, his hand rubbed against normal, smooth skin. How...?

“So the codings were correct,” Jeremie muttered as he tenderly touched his shoulder. “They functioned perfectly. I guess I know why it didn’t work the first time...”

Yumi frowned at him. “What are you talking about? What happened while we were on Lyoko?”

Jeremie sucked in a deep breath, and Ulrich’s heart stopped as the memories flooded back. Oh god... Odd...

“XANA possessed Odd and attacked me and Ulrich. He was able to severely injure us, but when I initiated the return to the past, the sustained injuries were healed.”  
Aelita’s eyes widened as a look of fear crossed her face. “Odd... he...”

“Yeah.” Jeremie leaned back in his chair. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Yumi opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. It was a long moment before she finally said, “Why didn’t the coding work the first time?”

“The return to the past can’t bring back the dead.”

The ominous sentence chilled his blood as he thought back to the day he was stuck in the forest. When Jeremie muttered about failing, about the coding not working. It all made sense. Jeremie had fixed the return to the past and had uploaded it to the supercomputer, but Odd was too dead for it to work on him.

“Franz Hopper himself wrote that,” Jeremie continued. “And I guess his theory was right after all.”

They hadn’t ever been proven correct on the assumption that the return to the past wouldn’t work on the dead. It was written on a note they had found while scrounging through the factory. It was the only paper that hadn’t been shredded, burned, or other wise destroyed.

The group remained silent as they were left to dwell on Jeremie’s sentence. Ulrich didn’t like the way Jeremie had said that, and with the strange look in the blond’s eyes, he knew he was planning something. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to be involved.

He closed his eyes as he leaned his head against the wall. He still couldn’t believe what had happened just a few minutes ago. Odd...

It wasn’t him, obviously. But Ulrich still felt that glimmer of hope he had when he saw him, before the spectre had stabbed him.

He knew he was going to have nightmares about today for weeks to come, and knew that Jeremie would probably have it ten times worse than him. 

There was a knock on the door, and the kids knew who it was before the doorknob turned. Jim was there to ask them if they wanted to go through any of Odd’s possessions before he cleaned out his dorm.

Ulrich didn’t want to go back in that dorm room. He never wanted to set foot in it again. It was too painful, and he knew having his friends around wouldn’t help.

Resignedly, he pushed himself up to answer the door. Nobody batted an eye, twitched, or moved a muscle, acting as statues.

Somebody had to do something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang. Nearly killed three-fifths of the gang in like, two chapters.
> 
> In which Jeremie is scarred for life, Ulrich is fearful of the future, and all the kids would rather not talk about it.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promises are broken, a funeral is made, and pretensions are born.

The day after they confronted the shell that housed XANA, they finally received contact from the Della Robbia’s.

In fact, they arrived at the city in the afternoon, and marched into the school, lead by a somber Principal Delmas. It was the first time Ulrich had seen them before, and he wasn’t sure what to make of them.

There were seven of them, Odd’s parents and his five sisters. He’s seen pictures of the parents, but never of the siblings, and it was strange to identify faces to the wild stories he used to hear.

Odd didn’t really look like any of his sisters. They all vaguely resembled the father, some features easily identifiable as their mother’s, but Odd obviously took more after the mother. He didn’t really seem to have many of the father’s traits.

It was interesting, but irrelevant.

They came to school to comb through Odd’s belongings. He wondered what they would do with Kiwi and all of his strange trinkets. He wondered what they’d make of his hoarding, his peculiar clothing, his collection of video games. 

He watched as they filed into his dorm room, watched their solemn expressions, watched them as they listened to Jim as he pulled out boxes filled with his things. He listened to their conversations, peeking from behind Jeremie’s doorway, focused on absorbing as much information as he could pick up.

It wasn’t until one of the sisters, the oldest, judging by height and facial features, left the room did Ulrich decide to make his move, to carry out what he had been planning. She was headed toward the restrooms, and he awkwardly followed her as slowly as he could.

As she exited the bathroom, Ulrich cautiously turned the hall just so they could bump into each other. 

He had a promise to fulfil, after all.

“Oh! Sorry,” she murmured as Ulrich stumbled backwards.

“No problem.” He paused. “Are you one of Odd’s sisters?”

“Yes. I’m Elizabeth Della Robbia.” So he had gotten the right one. She hesitated, before adding, “And you?”

“I’m Ulrich Stern. I’m... one of Odd’s friends.”

“Ah. Do you... do you need something?”

“Actually, yeah. I got a message to relay.” He didn’t want to say his next few words, his youngest going dry as he realised what he was about to do. It felt like he was cementing the fact that Odd really was dead, even though he knew it was true. But acting on the wishes of a dead man... “It’s just... Odd said you guys had been in an argument. He wanted me to tell you that he was sorry, and that you were actually right.”

Elizabeth blinked, looking surprised. “Really? He said that?”

“Yeah.”

She sighed softly. “His dying words were for me, huh? And an apology, no less. That’s rare. Normally I’d revel in that, but he was actually right this time.” She shook her head. “To think he’d still be hung over that...”

It was Ulrich’s turn to be surprised. Her answer was... rather cryptic. “What did you guys argue about?”

She hesitated, contemplating her answer to his inquiry. “Nothing important. Thank you for telling me this.”

He nodded dumbly as he watched her walk back to his room, her shoes clacking against the tiled flooring. All the stories Odd ever told of his siblings made them seem like demons from hell. Her reaction didn’t scream terrible older sister, but it was strange.

As he snuck back to Jeremie’s room, he took one last peek at the family gathered in the room. The twins seemed annoyed at the situation, whereas the rest seemed oddly blank. He wondered why; did they feel it was necessary to keep up the facade of emotional stability? Or did they really not feel anything? He didn’t like their reaction much, but he wasn’t entirely certain as to how a family should be mourning for losing their only son.

He couldn’t judge.

 

Ulrich broke his other promise, however. The Della Robbia’s were adamant in taking Kiwi with them. He wondered why.

 

The funeral was decided to take place the next day.

They arranged to bury him in France since, as Odd’s mother put it, “He loved it more than he did Italy.” Jeremie knew that was false, and any person who spent more than ten minutes with him would know of his love for his home country.

He wasn’t able to keep his promise.

He couldn’t. He knew that they seemed dead set on burying him here, and he doubted any word from him would have changed their minds. And from what he understood, his family would not take to the idea of cremation.

So he sealed his lips as he heard the announcement, despite the fact that he wanted to scream his protests.

 

It was too sunny. Too bright.

In movies, funerals are always in terrible weather. It’s typically raining or at the very least, cloudy with dark, foreboding, grey clouds that hung over them as they held umbrellas to block the rain. 

Instead, the sun was gladly shining, and not a cloud in the sky.

It wasn’t right.

Jeremie stood, motionless as the afternoon sun beat down on the funeral goers. He hated every second he spent standing there, listening to the ceremony and the fake sincerity people attempted to spout out to make themselves feel better. He hated it with every fibre of his being.

They lifted the casket into the hole, painstaking slow. Rage boiled under his skin and he couldn’t quite understand why as he watched them lower the box.

At least now they didn’t have to worry about XANA possessing him again.

His stomach coiled at the thought and he felt sick. It was such an awful, horrendous thing to think, yet he still couldn’t help but feel relief at it. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to cope with the first attack, and if XANA made a second, he wouldn’t survive.

The guilt of the first one weighed heavily, and was the reason why he couldn’t sleep last night. He knew he’d have plenty more sleepless nights to endure because of that day, let alone the fact that his best friend was dead.

He watched as they picked up their shovels, slowly sifting the black dirt before the first clump was tossed on the cover.

The funeral was truly cementing the outcome of his mistake. Odd really was dead, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to fix this, no matter how much he wished and tried. The boy had died for them, and there was no taking it back.

He wanted to scream. To cry. To just lay down and never get back up.

Instead, he remained as still as a statue, unwavering in the icy breeze. At least Mother Nature got that right, the cold weather fitting the numbness he was feeling.

He wished he was dead. He wished he was the one lying in the coffin. He would gladly take Odd’s place, a thousand times over. He’d happily get hit by that car again and again and again if it meant Odd could be standing next to him, telling some terrible joke.

Damn it.

Damn it all.

Jeremie stared idly at the mound of dirt, the workers patting it down as they finished their job. He felt glued to the grass, like he was a plant and had rooted himself far into the dirt. He couldn’t recognise what he saw, refused to, and his mind went blank.

Oh God...

His eyes drifted up to the small grey slab and his heart burst. He was fourteen.

Fourteen.

He shouldn’t be fucking dead at that age.

He should be flirting, telling bad jokes, playing with Kiwi, annoying them, lifting their spirits, forgetting his homework, listening to his music too loudly. He should be busting with a ridiculous amount of energy, chiding Sissi, eating a comical amount of food, complaining, falling in love.

He shouldn’t have been given an illness, shouldn’t have had to predict so many deaths, shouldn’t have sacrificed himself, shouldn’t have had to fight for his life, shouldn't have had his heart broken, shouldn’t have been murdered. He shouldn't be six feet under, shouldn’t be stiff, shouldn’t be dead.

The guilt was becoming too much to bear.

If only he had stayed away from that damn factory. If only he hadn’t touched the supercomputer. If only he had shut it down after that first attack.

It wasn’t fair to Aelita, but Jeremie only felt slightly remorseful for thinking that way. Someone else should help her, some trained official or any other more qualified people on this planet. Not four, volatile teens.

Or now, three.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he snapped his head up. Yumi was giving him a soft, sympathetic look as she silently offered her support. He just realised he was crying, not even noticing the tears streaming down his face until now.

Aelita was sobbing into Ulrich’s shoulder, her body shuddering as she latched on to him. Ulrich looked so tired, the fire in him extinguished as he remained deathly still next to the pink haired girl.

It wasn’t fair.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes moving back to the mound. He refused to look back at the grey headstone, refused to look at the dates that mocked him so. Determination coursed through his body as the anger began to fuel his new found objective.

He didn’t care if it killed him first.

He was going to bring back his friend.

He clenched his fist, his body tensing as his resolve became clear. He was going to find a way to bring back Odd. He was going to do everything in his power to get him back, to see him smile, to hear his voice, to see him breath again.

He was done moping about. 

It was time to get some work done, and he was going to prove Franz Hopper wrong. No matter the cost.

Even if it killed him.

 

It was late at night in Kadic. Stars shimmered in the sky, and darkness settled over the school in more than a literal sense.

Ulrich was passed out on the floor at the end of his bed, exhausted from crying so much and from the mental toils the funeral brought. His slow, steady breathing as his chest rose and fell eased Jeremie’s anxiety slightly.

Aelita sat on the crisply made bed, which he hadn’t touched in far too long. She looked tired, and Jeremie almost felt guilty for bringing her here. Almost.

His resolve was too important to wait for, however.

He glanced over at Ulrich once again to make certain he was asleep before turning his attention to Aelita. She watched him with a blank expression, weariness in her eyes. Maybe she already knew he wanted to play Frankenstein, and maybe she was already judging him before he had even said a single word in his defence.

“Aelita,” he started. “I have an idea.”

“Which is?”

“I have some theories going on how to ameliorate the return to the past. I think, if we work together... we have a chance at bringing back Odd.” He took a deep breath. “I think we could possibly save him.”

Aelita stared at him for a long moment, a silence settling over them like a mist. He waited to hear her lecture him, to get angry at him for even suggesting the lucrative idea that was certainly not laudable. He waited to hear her yell at him for bringing up false hope, to prove him wrong, to tell him no.

Instead, she closed her eyes and took a deep sigh. She opened them, her dull emerald eyes staring into his sapphires, and she gave him a crestfallen, yet boarding on desperate expression.

“Do you think it could work?” She murmured, her voice rough with crying. “Do you truly, absolutely, think that we have a chance in bringing him back to life?”

Jeremie stared at her, surprised by this change in events. It wasn’t hesitation, however, and he softly answered, “Yes.”

She shuddered, and glanced to the floor. Thinking over the proposition, she slowly looked back up to him. “I have faith in you Jeremie. If you believe this could work, then I will help you.”

Jeremie watched her as she began to stand up. “Let’s start in the morning. We still have time before they expect us to go back to school.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “I’ll be here as soon as possible. But I think we need some time to sleep. It’s been... a few exhausting days.”

Both knew that neither were going to be able to sleep. They were haunted far too much by these events to try to close their eyes for more than a blink. They didn’t want too see what monsters and ghosts lurked in the darkness.

They knew that there was no point.

“Thank you,” he whispered as she opened the door, beginning to leave. She paused, before simply nodding, and quietly shut the door behind her with a gentle click.

His heart raced as he turned his head back to the coding on his laptop. If all of his theories were correct... if Franz Hopper was as genius as he anticipated in creating this ex deus machina...

They really did have a chance.

He closed his eyes as realisation dawned on him like the sun itself was rising. If he was to truly go through with this, if he was truly going to attempt to bring back the dead...

He was going to be playing God.

And this gamble, this game, had high stakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes. Jeremie is about to pull a Victor Frankenstein. Can he do it, successfully?


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coding, fighting, and reappearances of someone you want back but not like this feat: guilty Jeremie.

_They all sat in Jeremie’s dorm, scattered around the room, tired expressions meeting him as he tried to explain his thinking. He felt that they deserved to be included into what Aelita and he were planning and avoid a collusion, as they were his friends too. It was only fair, after all._

_“So, by my reasoning, we may be able to reconfigure the return to the past to save Odd and bring him back. If we can go back to the day he... died, recode the return to the past program, heal his body and restore the energy XANA stole from the corrupted Future Flash... we may have a chance of anchoring his soul back and... we could save him. We could... revive him.”_

_He waited for their comments, waited for them to express some sort of disgust. They would probably get angry at him for setting up false hope, for trying to do something so risky. For trying to play God._

_“You think you can bring him back from the... dead?” Ulrich repeated. He looked so tired, desperation clinging to his face as he stared at Jeremie with wide eyes._

_“Yes. Jeremie and I have already run the numbers, and should our calculations be accurate, our hypothesis should work...” Aelita was twisting her hair nervously, clearly uneasy and weary of their reactions, similar to how Jeremie felt._

_“Then do it. If you need any help, we’d be glad to offer.” Yumi looked at the two with a hard expression, determination in her voice, yet a numbness settling over her features._

_Jeremie nodded. “Of course.”_

_It made sense that they’d want him back. Of course they would. Everybody wants to bring back their dead loved one, and now that they have a chance, why shouldn’t they take it?_

_“Yeah,” Ulrich began. “Yeah. I say do it. Don’t let anything stop you.”_

_Jeremie didn’t like the way he had phrased that, but remained silent._

 

A week later, and the program was finished. There were a lot of sleepless nights, of caffeinated beverages, of forgotten meals, of blinking screens, but here they were. They did it.

There were things that constantly had to be changed. Codes were frequently revised and rewritten. Ideas were molded into something different, were modified and altered. Problems would pop up, glitches would occur, and they couldn’t afford a single mistake.

Life was too precious to screw up with, and Jeremie didn’t know the consequences of their actions- if there was- should the coding prove to still have kinks. They’ve combed through each binary number with a fine pick so many times he could recite part of the program, but he was still nervous.

The program may be finished, but his anxiety was not quite put at bay.

However, time was short for his anxiety to have a chance to fester properly. They agreed to start the program right after school. Each hour spent at school was agonizing, and he wondered if his friends felt the same way. It felt pointless to not use it as fast as possible, to waste their time at school when they’ll be starting a brand new timeline, hopefully changes for the better.

He couldn’t focus. He had too much going on, and he found himself staring out the window instead of paying attention to the teachers. It didn’t matter, anyway.

As he sat down in his physics class, the beeping on his computer sent a chill down his spine. He flipped open his laptop, already knowing what grim reminder was about to greet him. He groaned as he pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to the rest of the group. 

The class hadn’t started yet, the transition between classes still ongoing as the bells had yet to ring, so he picked up his things and slowly slid out from the classroom. It didn’t matter if he was missing. They’d be resetting the timeline anyway.

He reluctantly made his way to the forest, hoping the others would see the message and promptly hustle. He scampered down the manhole, sliding down the ladder and skated through the pipeline on his scooter, clutching his bag like it was his lifeline.

After this attack, he thinks they should go a head and launch the program (he ought to give it a name at this point, but he’ll discuss that with Aelita at a later time). They’d probably have to launch a return to the past anyway, so he might as well put it to good use.

He wondered what XANA’s attack could possibly be now. He didn’t really want an answer.

The elevator jerked to a stop as the doors opened. His phone gave a soft beep as it vibrated in his pocket. Strutting across the room, he opened his phone to read the text message as he sat in the chair.

Moments before, Ulrich and Aelita had beat him to the factory. He saw that they had gone through the virtualization and were already in Lyoko. The message was from Yumi, saying she was caught up but would be over as soon as possible.

He put on the headset, scanning the screens for a moment. “The tower is due west from your current location, guys.”

“Thanks Jeremie!” Aelita chirped, and silence followed suit.

It was awkward, and Jeremie hated the silence that followed. It was too quiet, no chattering about useless things, no lame jokes to lighten the mood, and no complaining about the trip taking so long or that he was missing lunch. Something was obviously missing, and Jeremie hated it.

Thankfully, they will be taking that missing person back. Soon.  
He bent down to reach into his bag. His fingers clawed and dug through the pockets, searching for a certain disk. Panic began to spike through his veins as his blood froze, each passing second slowly beginning to confirm his fears.

God, he was an idiot!

He forgot the disk in his room. Shit. 

All that coding, all those laborious hours to make sure everything was perfect.... he fucked up. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

He slammed his hand on the table, anger flaring up his body like a raging wildfire. His friend’s life was at stake! He couldn’t afford to be forgetful, to be mindless! He could afford these mistakes!

His eyes drifted to the screen as he watched the icons dance about. He hunched over the keyboard, weary of the silence and waiting for any sign of trouble. He wouldn’t leave his friends blind if he had a say in anything.

According to XANA, he didn’t. As soon as he leaned over, coding flashed across the screen, and Jeremie knew he was attempting to kick him out of the supercomputer yet again.

And he knew that he wouldn’t be able to deconstruct the firewalls fast enough to stop him, his finger snot as nimble as the virus. But he still tried anyway.

Needless to say, two minutes later when the eye of XANA flashed on the screen, Jeremie wasn’t entirely surprised. Having taken Odd’s energy and built up from the return to the pasts, XANA was becoming extremely powerful and an even more lethal threat...

But his recently developed program may be able to take back Odd’s energy. If he played his cards right, if all those hours meant something, if his theory was right...

He stared at the blinking screen, determination slowly settling over his skin like a cool rain splattering on him in a June afternoon. He knew what he needed to do, and sitting around, utterly useless, was a waste of time.

He needed to get that disk.

He needed that program.

Swiftly, he left his chair. He needed to be quick in order to get the disk before they defeated XANA. He couldn’t stand sitting around while his friends fought monsters and he couldn’t stand the idea of being useless.

Idly, he wondered if that’s what Odd felt. When the scanners denied him, when he was so sick he didn’t even want to move... was he desperate to prove that he wasn’t useless when he confronted XANA for the last time?

His trip up the elevator sent him down a spiral of similar thoughts, and he frowned as the doors open. It wasn’t his last encounter. It won’t be, now that he has a say in the natural order.

He slipped out of the elevator as the doors slid open as gracefully as nails on a chalkboard. He quickly climbed up to the upper level, wheezing softly at the physical exertion as he began to exit the factory.

He ran across the bridge, his eyes trained on the spot where he last saw his friend. Crimson that shouldn’t be there splattered on the grey concrete, and he knew it was an illusion, but shivers racked his body as he ran closer. 

Suddenly, a purple blue in his vision startled him, and he nearly tripped. What was that-

He stood, paralysed, as the figure moved closer, and Jeremie wanted to die. Maybe he would, right there, from horror and fear, or maybe being murdered.

Odd was standing on the bridge, a smug grin perched on his face, but in worse condition than the last encounter they had. Jeremie’s stomach lurched.

Of course. It had been several days since the funeral. Decomposition had clearly began to settle in, and as he stalked closer, Jeremie could see the rotting flesh, could see the matted hair beginning to fall out, could see how thin he had become, and Jeremie felt nausea roll over him in harsh waves.

“Hey Einstein,” he greeted, grinning, his teeth having turned a strange colour, his tongue disgusting. At least he was too decayed to be bleeding out and too dry to be dripping with Seine water.

“Pulling the same trick twice?” Jeremie stuttered out, his voice not conveying the confidence he was searching for. 

“I figured you’d appreciate to see the fruits of your labours.” He tilted his head, his too wide grin stretching. “After all, you’re the reason why this child is dead.”

Jeremie remained silent, unable to form a response, unable to deny. He knew the corpse was right.

“Besides, this isn’t the only plan I have,” XANA continued. “But it certainly is a fun bonus to see you squirm.”

In Jeremie’s logical, scientific part of his brain, it was interesting to see that XANA felt some human emotions. Not quite in the same way, seeing as it was a virus, lines of code, at heart. But it was fascinating to see that it can feel malicious, spite, understand mercy yet disregard it. 

Jeremie wondered if he learned these feelings from the scientist who created him (Franz Hopper?) or whether humans had any say in these developments at all.   
But the sane part of Jeremie was also terrified.

He couldn’t do this. Fuck, he couldn’t fight Odd again and nearly die again and lose more of his sanity again. He couldn’t go through the trauma, through the mental and physical onslaught. God, he couldn’t do this.

He couldn’t.

“You just came here to torture me?” Jeremie asked, struggling to understand. The virus had gone back to its murderous ways (clearly shown with Odd) so it made sense for him to try to kill him, and he supposed in a twisted way, it made sense to wear the face of his friend. To invoke guilt and distractions.

“Somewhat.” XANA shrugged. “I’d prefer an outcome of your demise.”

Jeremie didn’t even have time to blink when he was lunged at, and he screamed as his mind went numb. Rotted flesh rubbed against his skin and burned as Odd’s hands touched him, as his arms wrapped around him. He hated the feeling of dry skin on him, of festering flesh tubbing against him and exposed muscles numbing his nerves.

He couldn’t believe how fast everything had turned on him. It felt as if he had completed a one eighty from excitement to bringing back his friend and terror at his newfound fate. The events were so quick, the conversation so swift, that if he had blinked he felt he would have missed the entire ordeal.

He screamed louder as he realised what was happening, as he felt the air rush around him and his hair swirl in the rapid wind. He understood what was going on as he felt weightless, as the crushing, dawning terror flirted down his spine. As he stared into lifeless, dead eyes and stained teeth and rotted flesh he understood.

He had been punched off the ledge of the bridge, and into the Seine below. 

XANA was trying to drown him.

He wondered what Odd was thinking of when he fell. Was the risk worth it? Was dying worth protecting his friends?   
Or was he dead before he had even hit the water?

Jeremie quit screaming. The air rushed around, matting his hair as the weight against his chest became lighter. He closed his eyes, waiting for the impact of the river.

Maybe he should fight it. But he was falling. What good would that do to him now? He was too late, his reaction too late, and he couldn’t do anything to stop his descent even if he wanted to.

It was okay.

This was his fate.

Maybe he deserved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie’s dead. Oops.  
> Kinda feels rushed? Idk.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> XANA reveals his plans and Yumi is done with this shit.

Yumi frowned as she skated through the pipeline, angrily pushing off. She appreciated William’s well meaning concern, but his over protective tendencies that had increased exponentially after Odd’s death annoyed her immensely. It was difficult to slip away from school when you have a watch dog constantly trying to look after you.

She reached the ladder and began to climb, sighing softly as she ascended. As she began to move the manhole cover, her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a loud scream from above. She quickly sped up her actions and shoved the cover aside, pushing herself up onto the bridge to see the source of the screeching.

Her eyes widened as she watched a peculiar shape of purple and blue tumble off the side of the bridge. She knew what was happening.

Her legs moved to her own accord and she was sprinting on autopilot. Her mind screamed only one thing, fear shooting through her veins.

She reached the side of the bridge and hauled her self over, her arm out stretched, her fingers grasping at the air to touch something, to not be too late.

After a brief moment, her fingers caught on something. She reached down and grabbed it, both hands wrapped around a stray limb.

The momentum from falling continued even as she stopped him, jerking her forward slightly. She held on to the ankle tighter, her arms straining at the awkward weight.

Jeremie dangled precariously, his eyes terrified and gleaming with small droplets, and Yumi sighed in relief. A second too late and he would have slipped through her fingers.

She yanked on him as hard as she could, trying to pull up the boy before her strength fizzled out. Slowly but surly, progress was made as she pulled the blonde up, her arms straining and her muscles aching.

Finally, Jeremie was hoisted to the top of the bridge, and they sat their for a moment, panting softly. She eyed him, frowning, and waited until his breathing returned to normal.

“Jeremie-“

“Odd! XANA repossessed him and he pushed me off the bridge and was trying to drown me but then he climbed back on to the bridge when you caught me...“ Jeremie looked terrified, his eyes darting around in paranoia, searching for the aforementioned fiend.

Yumi’s frown deepened. Shit. “Where did he go?”

“Hey Yums,” a voice answered, and a chill ran down her spine as she slowly turned. 

Yumi was repulsed by the sight, her stomach rolling in agreement to her disgust as her eyes immediately darted away. It was too late however- the image was burned in her brain, and it would haunt her no matter what happened after this.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” The- the monster grinned like a Cheshire Cat, tilting his head and putting a hand up to frame his face.

“It’s not yours,” she whispered, slowly getting up. This was a monster. Not a friend. It terrified her that he looked the part of a monster in Odd’s body.

He grinned. “I think he’s a bit too dead to claim ownership, hm?”

Before Yumi could retaliate, a blue blur darted past her. Jeremie sprinted away, his hands clenched into tight first, and she watched as he swung at XANA.

The spectre dodged, grinning still, conveying smugness that a virus shouldn’t be able to comprehend. It felt too human. 

It felt like Odd.

The spectre suddenly lashed out, his leg connecting to Jeremie’s back. The blonde let out a soft ‘oomph’ as stumbled before finally collapsing to the ground, the breath knocked out of him. Yumi took a deep breath before charging, her fingers tightly clenched and her shoulders shaking.

She pulled a right cross, her fist colliding with XANA’s jaw, who was distracted by Jeremie. She instantly regretted the action.

She felt the rotted flesh rub against her skin, and it sent shudders through her body. The sound of a sharp snap hit their ears, and she knew she dislocated his jaw, possibly breaking the weakened bones. Her fist retreated, and she could see flakes of deteriorated skin on her knuckles, and she wanted to faint right there.

“Good hit,” XANA muttered. And he lunged.

Yumi blinked and tried to dodge, but the spectre moved at supernatural speeds. He pushed her to the ground, her spine hitting the concrete and sending her nerves painful signals.

Jeremie leapt onto the back of the monster, his arms wrapping around his neck as he tightly held on. Yumi took this opportunity to punch him again, her fist smacking against his nose, and another snap was heard.

XANA looked mildly annoyed as he suddenly dropped to the concrete floor, rolling onto his back to pin Jeremie to the ground before jutting out his leg to kick Yumi in the face, a bruis forming from the impact. He stood up, preparing to continue after her, when Jeremie pushed himself away and caught XANA’s attention once again. 

Jeremie coughed, standing back up as Yumi did. They immediately moved together, side by side, and stared down the demented demon before them. Jeremie frowned, his eyes flickering nervously to Yumi and the virus.

“I need to go,” he murmured. “The program to bring back Odd? I need to go get it.”

Yumi nodded. “I’ll distract him while you run.”

He looked dubious, but seeing as that was literally their only plan, he nodded back. Maybe he just didn’t want to leave her alone with the virus. He was afraid of a repeat.

XANA rubbed his jaw before looking back at the two, his teeth and right jaw exposed as he grinned even larger than before, his skin stretching like an elastic band pulled to far back.

Yumi charged again, pouncing on the skeleton. The spectre moved away from the attack, dodging and moving behind her. She frowned as she lost track of him before a sharp pain in her tights side found her staring into those dead eyes.

She stumbled backwards but her arm jutted our in a sort of reflex, narrowly missing the monsters head. He kicked her legs, forcing her to the ground as she fell, awkwardly landing in a sitting position. She dodged another kick and rolled to the side, her eyes glancing out of the corners of her sight.

Jeremie was sprinting away, now engulfed in the darkness of the forest fauna, and she knew she had done her job right.

“Why?” She wheezed, trying to bide for time. He was clearly talkative, which was still a strange concept to grasp seeing as the homicidal virus never spoke for himself. Maybe being in Odd had rubbed off on him. “Why are you playing the same card twice?”

“Why am I possessing your friend again?”

“Yes.”

He grinned. “The simple reason? For pleasure. To see you all squirm. And of course, tactical advantage.”

She clenched her jaw. “That’s your master plan? Kill us with our dead friends corpse?”

“Not quite. If you want to know, I’m deleting Lyoko as we speak.”

She froze, her blood turning to ice as the words registered in her brain. “What?”

“The power I’ve gained from the return to the pasts, and from siphoning off the electric supply, as well as the additional fuel from your dead friend as provided me with so much power that I can delete Lyoko and override Franz Hopper.”

She blinked. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This couldn’t possibly be true. Deleting Lyoko couldn’t actually happen. “Wouldn’t you be deleting yourself?”

He shook his head, causing his bones to crackles softly. “Not quite. I’m not attached to the digital realm of Lyoko. The point is to destroy the four sectors and the Core. I can stay inside the supercomputer without Lyoko.”

“But the towers? Don’t you need those to connect to the real world?”

“The power I’ve amassed will easily let me create new towers that can’t be deactivated by outsiders to travel to your world. And if need be, I can always stay in a suitable host.” He grinned sharkishly, and she understood the implications, her blood boiling.

“You can’t possibly have that much power!”

“Aren’t you curious as to why I inflicted that virus on your friend, only to kill him myself?”

She remained silent. The thought had passed. If he had been using him as a battery, then wouldn’t he want to gain all the energy he could from him instead of ending it prematurely?

“It’s because he wasn’t a battery. He was a distraction.” He grinned, and Yumi quickly realized just how close the monster had crept. The stench of rotted flesh filled her lungs and her vision composed only of the decayed layers of skin loosely hanging onto thin bones.

“While you were busy dealing with his infliction and figuring out a cure, I had been able to delay the alarm Jeremie had created to alert you to an activated tower. I could only do short trips before the alarm would go off. And during those trips, I siphoned as much electricity from the cities power supply as I could manage.”

“The weeks you’ve spent on your friend provided me with ample amount of time to gain the power I needed to take control.”

“Why him?”

He title this head slightly, like a puppy. A wolf in sheeps clothing. “Why did I give him the virus? I would have been ecstatic to give it to Jeremie, but he doesn’t go to Lyoko often. Aelita was a vital part of my old plan, and if this all backfired, I didn’t want to, what’s the saying? Kill two birds with one stone? I still needed a back up plan, of course.”

“It was an easy decision. The codes had already been part of his DNA and I knew that it would be easier for them to be downloaded secretly then on any of you.” 

His face was inches away from her own, despite the height difference, but Yumi refused to back down. She wasn’t afraid, and she wouldn’t let XANA take anything more, even her pride, no matter how moronic it seemed.

“He was also the weakest link in your group. He was such an easy fight, an easy kill, that his immolation was rather disappointing in the end,” He smirked. “On a personal note, I deeply enjoyed creating what you humans call irony. To be granted a gift, then throw it away, only for it to be turn against you? To see your future only to be unable to change it? These ironies seem straight out of one of your human stories.” 

Her fist connected with the monsters face without hesitation. Her mind was still processing all that he had said, focusing in on the words “an easy kill”. He stumbled back, still wearing that smug grin on his decayed lips, watching her with emotionless, dead eyes.

She stood in a defensive stance, her eyes trained at him, staring right back. He nodded to himself for a moment, grinning at her antics.

“I’m certain you’ll be much more fun to kill than the pesky Della Robbia.”

Yumi didn’t even have to think twice as she crossed the distance, her fist locked on to his nose. There was no hesitation, no second guessing, even as she stared down at her friend’s face. Because it really wasn’t Odd. He could never be like this monster.

There was a monster in there, and it was parading about with his face, like a hunter boasting about their deceased quarry. 

She refused to stand for that.

 

Jeremie’s heart was racing as he climbed the stairs, practically jumping up them as he acceded to the dorm rooms. He felt awful for leaving Yumi to herself to face the spectre, but she could take care of herself.

Idly, he realized he had thought the same of Odd, and his heart quickened in pace along with his stride.

He reached his room, out of breath and wheezing as he flung open the door. He dived toward his desk, slamming the chair against the wooden frame as he groped around for the disk. His fingers grasped the plastic and he sighed with relief, releasing a breath he had been holding.

He checked the cover, making certain it was the right program. He didn’t want a repeat of the day Aelita came to Earth and the mix up that occurred. 

_Anticipation_ , written in barely legible handwriting and bright red ink, was scrawled across the front.

He took out his laptop and began to load the disk in. He didn’t want it to be scratched, and this ensured protection. Even the smallest of glitches or scrapes could destroy everything they worked so hard for.

His computer awakened and a loud beeping shook the silence. He frowned as he poured over the notifications and alarms that were going off. He had synced his laptop to the supercomputer to receive the same feedback and information. He couldn’t access the supercomputer from the laptop, but he could find out what was going on.

His eyes widened as a final pop up appeared, and his heart stopped.

_Deleting Lyoko: 10% Complete_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XANA’s a piece of shit, Yumi is a badass, Jeremie’s trying his best, Aelita and Ulrich are in Lyoko, said Lyoko is getting deleted, and Odd is still pretty dead. 
> 
> Pretty sure all this technobabble XANA said was false and I don’t know how Lyoko or the supercomputer works because I’m not researching that because I’m too tired to care.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yumi shows off her skills, Jeremie concord a plan, and Ulrich and Aelita are rattled.

Ulrich and Aelita sprinted across the desert, silence heavy in the air like an oppressing weight as anxiety filled their thoughts. Jeremie had been kicked out of the system once again, and they knew they were on their own. They hoped they were heading in the right direction.

Thus far, there had been no sign of any of XANA’s monsters. Not even the usual stray scouts that wandered aimlessly around each sector. It was strange to see the land so empty, so devoid of any activity, and it did nothing to ease their minds. If they were in the right direction, surely there would have been a monster to slay nearby who was supposed to protect the activated tower...?

They continued to run across the empty desert, wondering what was happening in the real world.

Suddenly, the ground under their feet gave way, disintegrating right before their very eyes, and Ulrich and Aelita found themselves in a free fall. Ulrich yelped as he pulled out his sword, digging it into the side of the hole, and Aelita grabbed on to his other hand, both dangling as they came to an abrupt halt. 

Ulrich pulled himself up slowly, thankful that Lyoko provided superhuman strength and the inability to feel muscle strain, and Aelita came soon after. They wearily stared at the hole, concerned and confused over the strange glitch. The peculiar hole went straight through the landmass, as if something had drilled into it, and had they fallen through the gap, they would have landed in the digital sea below.

The hole suddenly grew, growing wider as more land disappeared in blue tiles, and both warriors backed up, trying to outpace the rapidly expanding hole.

“What’s going on?” Ulrich asked, glancing over at the pink haired girl for an explanation. Aelita had absolutely no idea, and stared at the widening hole in increasing horror.

“I don’t know. The sectors shouldn’t be able to just... disappear.”

They backed up again as the hole grew another inch in diameter. They exchanged uneasy looks, before Ulrich pointed in the opposite direction.

“Must be something XANA’s doing to stop us from getting to the tower. That has to mean we’re close.”

Aelita frowned as Ulrich began to run off, following him with one last look at the opening. She had a feeling it was more than just one of XANA’s tricks to hinder their progression, but she remained silent as she contemplated the situation at hand.

 

Jeremie harshly slammed his laptop shut. He pulled at the hair on his head, panic coursing through his veins as the words settled in. This didn’t make sense! How could Lyoko just start... deleting itself?

It must be XANA.

But he couldn’t! He needed Lyoko, like a bird needs a nest. He needs to inhabit something in order to maintain his presence or risk being exterminated himself, and he needs those towers to gain access to physically manifest in the real world.

Unless... he found a way around Franz Hopper’s system.

With an ever evolving AI, Jeremie wouldn’t be too surprised if the virus had found a loophole in Hopper’s network. With the hysteria over Odd’s virus and the aftermath of his death, it was very likely that XANA had been working behind their backs to figure out and execute such a large plan.

He kicked his desk at the thought. Odd hadn’t been the main target, not really- he was a distraction. The virus was to beguile the teens while he created a plan and Odd’s energy and death was just an added bonus.

His blood boiled under the surface of his skin. XANA had used Odd as if he was a disposable object. 

And Jeremie hadn’t suspected a thing.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to let his emotions drive him. He could rage about XANA later, once they stopped him and once they bring Odd back. He had to think of a plan to fuck up XANA’s scheme.

He needed to get back to the supercomputer to check the main system, and try to understand how he could fix this mess. Sliding his laptop into his bag, he quickly flung himself out of his room. 

Racing to get out of the school, he hoped that Yumi was alright as a plan began to form. He’d hate to throw Yumi under the bus, but if he was right...

 

Yumi wiped her lips, blood smearing on her knuckles. Bruises bloomed along her legs and scratches had been sewn into her arms, appearing as false stitches. She was alive, but she wasn’t going to last much longer.

XANA stood in front of her, grinning cheerfully as he snapped his dislocated shoulder back into place with a sickening crack. Yumi wished for some bleach to drown her brain in, wanting nothing more than to forget how easy it was for him to pop his bones into place.

This fight was going no where fast. He wouldn’t- couldn’t- just.... stay dead, and he was slowly draining her of energy. She couldn’t keep this up forever, and she was tiring out. 

Her phone vibrated and she checked the message as quick as she could. Jeremie had texted, and that he was on his way. He need her to continue distract XANA so he could sneak back into the factory.

She glanced at the virus as she slid her phone back into her pocket. Jeremie had a theory that she had skimmed through, but hoped to God was true. XANA couldn’t be three places at once; in the core of Lyoko, in Odd’s body, and blocking Jeremie’s access to the supercomputer. He’s spreading himself thin for a massive attack. Therefore, by spreading himself out, he’s weakened himself more than usual, and so Jeremie’s going to try to find a loophole to get back into Lyoko and guide Aelita and Ulrich to the tower.

She glanced behind her, eyes darting to the entrance to the factory as an idea formed. She couldn’t continue to fight Odd on this bridge; there was no way Jeremie would be able to sneak by without XANA noticing. She needed to change venues.

XANA licked his lips like a hungry predator, and pounced, jumping toward her at high speed. Yumi backed away, moving just fast enough to barely dodge as he made a quick landing. Her eyes narrowed at him as she continued to back up, drawing him further into the factory.

She spun on her foot and sprinted away, praying that the spectre would follow her. The virus played into her hands as she heard a pattering of feet after her, and adrenaline pulsed in her viens. 

The hunt was on.

She darted into the elevator, watching as the doors slowly began to grind close. XANA slipped in with impressive timing, and Yumi knew she was in dangerous territory. Fighting was hard enough, but now they are in a limited, enclosed space.

XANA struck her nose, and she stumbled backwards before sending a brisk kick his way. The virus dodged and swung out his leg to trip her. She latched on to his arm, stopping her descent, and kicked his back. She heard a sharp pop and wondered what kind of damage she had done to his vertebrae.

The door slid open with terrible squeaks just as Odd turned to send a punch to her gut. She tumbled out of the elevator, barely keeping her balance, and kept her eyes trained on the spectre.

They were now in the factory part of the building, away from the front where Jeremie was sneaking in. She kept a straight face, not wanting to give XANA a cause for suspicion, but on the inside she was smirking. Outsmarting a computer had never felt so good.

She began to run away again, and XANA followed, pursuing her with supernatural speed. She could feel him gaining on her, could feel the metaphorical breath on her neck as she strained her body to go as fast as she could.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her knee as the sole of a shoe rammed into her leg. She buckled, collapsing onto the ground in a heap as her leg throbbed in intense pain. 

Odd leered above her, that too wide smile still plastered onto his face as he bashed the toe of his foot into her chest. She was thrown onto her side from the force of the blow, and her eyes made contact with Odd’s own. Dead, lifeless eyes stared into her, decay having slowly set in, empty. 

Another kick and Yumi barely kept back a strangle cry. Another kick. Another kick. Another-

This time, Yumi rolled away, cringing as her bruised ribs crackled against the child cement. Her lungs were on fire, like someone had lit a match and set her lungs aflame from the inside. She coughed harshly, her throat feeling like sandpaper, and she watched as blood splattered into the ground beside her head. Crimson pools reflected XANA’s figure as she coughed again, more blood oozing from her cracked lips and wrecked lungs.

Another well timed kick was aimed at her, his foot slamming against her head this time as he attacked while she hacked up her lung. She was stunned, sprawled on the ground, more blood trickling down her face as her vision spun. Blurred objects weaves in and out of her peripheral, and a purple dislimn hovered over her.

Her ears rang with a concussion, but even over the earsplitting ringing, she could make out his voice.

“Are you ready to join your friend, six feet under?”

 

Jeremie skidded into the factory, his feet aching from running so hard. He jumped to the ground and sprinted toward the elevator, fear coursing through his veins as he watched the doors slide shut.

A mechanical lit buzzed in his ears as anxiety flooded him, washing over him like a heat wave in the middle of summer. His legs shook as he waited for the elevator to stop, waited to see if his hypothesis would be proven correct, or if he had made a fatal error in judgement in leaving Yumi alone.

He wasn’t sure what he would do if he was wrong.

The doors opened with a sharp grinding sound and Jeremie slipped out, clutching his bag to his side. He clambered into his seat, eyes focused on the codes in front of him. 

He cracked his knuckles before hunching over, his fingers flying over the keys as firewall after firewall popped up in protest to his defiance. He scanned the codes, typing rapidly as he fought to gain control to the supercomputer.

XANA seemed to know what Jeremie was trying to do. If he was able to get past his security and guide Aelita and Ulrich to the tower.... they might have a chance at stopping the virus’ mad plan. 

If he played his cards right.

XANA seemed to understand that however, and the firewalls were becoming increasingly encrypted. They almost seemed to be in constant flux, recording themselves to keep him from finding a pattern, but Jeremie had always been good at picking out repeating patterns.

His eyes flickered to a different moniter, glancing at the percentage. Twenty-five percent.

He took a deep breath as he focused. A fourth of Lyoko. Shit.

His eyes spotted a line of code that didn’t quite match the others. It was off by a measly character, and Jeremie cracked a smile as his fingers typed to exploite the mistake. 

The Eye of XANA on the screen ominously flickered as Jeremie finished his line of coding, and he picked up his head set. He jammed it onto his head, his throat going dry as he stared at the screen before speaking into the mic.

“Aelita! Ulrich? Can you hear me?”

He waited anxiously in response, gazing at the screen. The monitor slowly whirled back to normal, black screen brightening as it seemed to be resetting, and a small map appeared on screen as two icons danced in the desert terrain.

Pixels became ingrained in his brain as he sat there for what felt like an eternity, staring blankly at the blinking icons as he held his breath. Until...

“Jeremie? It’s me, Aelita! We hear you loud and clear!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back. School was rough.
> 
> Anyway, in which Jeremie is hella stressed, Yumi is still a certified badass, and Aelita and Ulrich have no idea wtf is going on.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aelita and Ulrich have a blast in Lyoko, and Jeremie and Odd have a bit of falling out.

Aelita and Ulrich stood motionless in the desert, staring up at the sky. They were certain they heard Jeremie’s voice earlier, but after this lapse of silence, Aelita was wondering if this wasn’t a case of folié à deux, a trick of the mind stemming from desperation.

“Oh thank god,” Jeremie muttered. “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep this up so head northeast. The tower isn’t too far from where you are. I can’t send in vehicles. XANA’s still got a lock on parts of the supercomputer.”

Aelita grinned at Ulrich as they turned in the correct direction. She was thankful they had been travelling close enough to the correct direction. They sprinted across the sands, a quiet lull between them.

“How’s Yumi?” Ulrich asked, clearly nervous. It was extremely understandable why. Last time they let XANA fight one of them one on one... he ended up dead. 

Jeremie clicked his tongue. “I don’t know. She wasn’t at the bridge when I got back. It seems that she must have lured XANA deeper into the factory. I haven’t heard from her in a while.”

Ulrich bit his lip, frowning as he ran. “No update? Nothing else?”

“No. I’m sorry. But I’m sure she’s fine.” Suddenly, Jeremie muttered a string of explicits. “Group of three hornets on their way, 10 o’clock.”

Ulrich skidded to a stop as a buzzing filled their ears. He glanced over at Aelita, his eyes squinted in concentration as he formed a plan. “Head on without me. I’ll fight the hornets while you go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Aelita hesitated before giving a sharp nod. There wasn’t much she could do here.

She sprinted away, eyes trained on the horizon for any sign of a looming tower, or any other monsters lurking.

Jeremie was silent as she ran, and while that wasn’t terribly unusual, it wasn’t comforting. She missed the quirky banter the team would engage in while in Lyoko and the competitions they’d have. She missed the overzealous performances they’d make in defeating a monster and the bragging rights one of them gained when they defeated more than the others.

It was too quiet.

And it was unsettling.

She pumped her legs harder.

The faster she arrived at the tower and deactivated it, the faster they could fix the terrible silence. They could fix their mistake.

“Aelita! Watch out! There are two Tarantulas to the right!”

Aelita glanced in the direction to find two lanky legged monsters perched on the ground, a soft buzzing filling the air as they prepared to fire. Her eyes widened and she ducked just as a shot flew toward her, narrowly missing her shoulder. 

She continued to run as an onslaught of laser fire came her way. She was panicking on the inside as she continued to swerve to avoid making herself an easy target for the monsters.

What should she do?

She ducked behind a small sand dune, trying to formulate a plan. She wasn’t sure where Ulrich was or how close he was to being available. She was on her own.

She glanced from the side, slowly peeking to see the tarantulas advancing toward her. They were still rapidly sending shots her way, and she ducked back. 

She grinned as an idea formed. She’d use her Creativity to drop them into the digital sea.

She needed to see where they are for this to work, however. 

She glanced over at another sand dune, closer to the monsters and shorter in height. She hesitated before darting out, pumping he legs toward the large pile of digital sand as quick as she could, prepared to dodge the rapid laser fire heading her way.

“Aelita, wait!”

She felt the ground beneath her suddenly give, and she could feel herself begin to free fall. It was as if someone had pulled the rug from under her, only this time she had no floor to fall on.

She watched as the ground below her disintegrated in blue squares. She flailed her arms, trying to latch on to any sort of grip around her. Her fingers caught on the edge of the strange hole, and she gave a sigh of relief. 

The ground was slowly deteriorating under her fingers, and she quickly pulled herself up. She rolled away from the hole, quickly running as far as she could to duck behind the sand dune.

Another hole had formed yards away, and both of the Tarantulas had fallen into it. That settles that, at least.

“Jeremie!” She hissed, needing an answer to whatever the hell just happened. “What’s going on?”

“Lyoko is being deleted! The sectors must be deleting in parts as well!”

“What?” 

“Right, you don’t know. XANA is trying to delete Lyoko, some sort of scheme of his to get out of the supercomputer. The sectors are glitching because of this.”

She couldn’t believe this. When the hell had XANA gained so much power? How could he have overrides Franz’s Hoppers countless programs?

As if reading her mind, he continued. “He’s been stealing power from the return trips and siphoning energy from the local power plant. He found a way around my alarms so he could sneak into the real world to steal the power for last few weeks.”

How could they have missed the power surge? How could they not have noticed?  
Aelita froze. The last few weeks, they had been preoccupied with Odd and his virus. Of course. XANA went after him to use him as a distraction. It all made so much sense.

Oh god.

She took a deep breath. She needed to focus and not let her emotions get the best of her right now. XANA was deleting Lyoko. That was the priority here. It was imperative that they were stop him quickly, before he destroys the only way for them to sabotage his plan.

“How much has he deleted?”

There was a pause. “Thirty percent of Lyoko.”

Shit.

She sighed as she began to run again. She didn’t know how much time they had left before all of Lyoko was gone. 

She glanced behind her just in time to see Ulrich’s yellow blur begin to catch up to her. She grinned slightly out of relief as they exchanged a small glance; at least she had back up now. 

 

Jeremie’s eyes were glued to the screen, watching the two avatars dance along the desert features. His fingers were tapping against the desk top in anticipation, anxiety flooding him as he waited. The tower was still a sizeable distance away due to the fact that they hadn’t been traveling at the right angle before he arrived.

His ears suddenly picked up on a grinding sound, and panic coursed through his veins. It was the elevator traveling through the shaft. Was it Yumi?

He bolted from the chair, the map of the desert forgotten as he stared at the golden doors. He ripped his head set from his head and flung it down, abruptly silencing the contact between him and Aelita. It was likely not going to Yumi awaiting him behind those doors, and he needed to be prepared for what he knew laid ahead of him.

The elevator opened with a gentle screech as old gears attempted to work, and Jeremie was face to face with his worst nightmare once again. Odd Della Robbia stood before him, hips cocked slightly, an air of arrogance surrounding him that didn’t quite match the dead look in his rotting eyes. 

“Hello Jeremie,” he greeted tonelessly. “Mind stepping away from the computer for a while? I have a few errands to complete.”

“You’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead body.”

Odd grinned, and it almost seemed genuine. Jeremie couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that XANA could display such emotions. Arrogance, malice, smugness- it should all be foreign concepts to a computer virus. It was an AI, but it wasn’t developed enough to understand the complexities of feelings.

He wondered if somehow, somewhat, Odd was showing through. Maybe a part of him really was around, like XANA had taunted at their first meeting. Like Odd was rubbing off on the usually silent menace.

“As you wish.”

Odd launched himself across the room, pouncing at him like a cat springing toward its prey. Had he still maintained the strange, chatoyant quality Odd’s eyes held, it would have increased the feral animal qualities XANA seemed to radiate as he pulled the strings on the puppet. His cat analogies were terrible ironies that Jeremie didn’t want to appreciate. 

Jeremie scrambled away from the purple blur. trying to focus. Now was not the time to get distracted.

“Where’s Yumi?” He yelled, watching as Odd landed on his haunches gracefully, like an oversized feline, and swiftly spun to face him. 

“Not dead,” he answered back. “If that’s what you’re worried about. But certainly not in the finest of health. I was about to kill her, but you broke through my codes, and are now a higher priority to neutralise.”

Jeremie ducked as Odd swung his left arm, narrowly missing his cheek. XANA must have felt himself weaken when Jeremie took back the supercomputer, and knew that Jeremie would become a real threat to his plans if he kept that control. 

Plus, Ulrich and Aelita were still there. XANA probably wants to delete them to keep them from reaching and deactivating the tower.

Jeremie struck the spectre in the nose with his fist, trying to hide the grimace as the contact created a loud pop. XANA retaliated with quick blow to his kidney, and Jeremie stumbled backwards. 

He toppled over the chair, and a foot met his face as XANA kicked him. His cheek throbbed as he tried to gain distance between the virus and himself, hoping to find some time to formulate a plan.

If Yumi couldn’t last against XANA, Jeremie knew he wasn’t going to either, and the conclusion to this fight will likely come much faster. God, Yumi-

He jolted back just in time to duck another swing and scamper backwards. He needed a weapon- anything, he’ll take anything. A fist-to-fist battle isn’t matched evenly at all, and a weapon will help him even the odds.

Another fist swung his way, and this time he wasn’t fast enough to dodge. His nose screamed as XANA suddenly grabbed his hair, bloodied fingers entangling themselves in his blond locks, and his face was slammed against the back of the large chair.

His vision blurred momentarily, until his face was slammed back into the chair once again. Blood spilled down the side of his face, blinding him as he tried to form cohesive thoughts, tried to create a plan to get out of this predicament. 

As his head was about to smash against the metal once more, he kicked his leg, hoping he’d strike something. He missed, empty air hitting his foot instead of rotted skin, but Jeremie felt slack on his hair. They both stumbled backwards; Odd must have lost his balance trying to dodge his kick.

Jeremie struck the ground, head nicking the pavement with a nasty sound that rang in his ears.

Odd scrambled on top of him, pinning him to the ground with such force that even if Jeremie wasn’t concussed, he wouldn’t have been able to escape. His dead eyes staring into his, a deep scowl settling on his lips, and it was a sharp contrast to the usual to wide smile. Jeremie lucidly wondered why he was so angry. Aelita and Ulrich must be close to deactivating the tower?

“Lights out for you Jeremie,” Odd murmured, and amusement flicked across his face so quickly Jeremie was near certain he’d hallucinated it.

The spectre grabbed his head and impinged it against the floor. The force caused his ears to ring, screaming in ways that he couldn’t even though he was in extreme pain. His mouth went dry as white hot sensations burned the back of his head.

Another slam against the ground, and Jeremie knew he was out for the count. His eyes slowly began to slide close as blood seeped into his face, a blurry blackness fading into the edges of his vision. He desperately hoped Aelita and Ulrich were at the tower, that they were about to deactivate it.

He hoped Yumi was alright.

The weight on his chest slowly lessened, and Jeremie, struggling to keep his eyes open for a few more moments, watched blankly as the purple blue in his vision slunk to the chair. He watched as the spectre began to type with ridiculous speed, and Jeremie felt like it was game over. XANA had manual access to the supercomputer.

The blurry blackness quickly faded to a blinding, numb white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm.
> 
> Well, Jeremie has very conflicted feelings, Yumi did her best and is still a badass (lasted longer than Jeremie at least), Ulrich’s worried, and Aelita is trying.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aelita is stumped, Yumi and Ulrich do their best, XANA’s a bitch, and Jeremie is... not around.

Yumi trudged down the halls, slumped over as she limped. Her leg burned from Odd’s low blow and she wondered if it was broken. Blood dropped from her head as she practically crawled toward her only salvation.

She knew exactly where XANA was. He was holed away with the supercomputer, no doubt fighting Jeremie at this very moment. And while she had faith in Jeremie’s technological skills, his fighting was not be admired. He wouldn’t last long. He needed help.

Blood dribbled down her chin from her last attack of relentless coughing. She didn’t bother wiping it away, focused solely on reaching the elevator.  
She did have a job to do, after all.

 

XANA slinked into the large chair, Jeremie’s unconscious, unmoving figure laying on the ground, discarded and no longer the focus of the homicidal virus. He grinned once more, the much too wide smile settling on his features as he placed his fingers on the keys, long nails scratching at the plastic as he began to type.

He smashed the keys in a specific pattern, watching intently as the lines of codes flashed before him at extreme speeds. With a flourish, he pressed the last key, and watched as Ulrich’s avatar card popped up.

He grinned as it slowly drained to grey, and began to type once more.

Slowly, the elevator began to grind, but XANA paid no mind to the ominous noise. He was focused on on the lines of code, fingers moving at a supernatural pace. He knew exactly who was in the elevator, and that she would be no threat to him after their last fight.

The doors opened, and Yumi stepped out. She locked onto XANA’s sitting form, ignoring the fear that scratched under her skin from the glance at Jeremie’s crumpled body. She began to run, forcing herself to use her bad leg as stabbing pains snakes up her calves.

She launched herself at the virus, her arms wrapping over Odd’s torso as she reached him. He made a strange noise that she assumed was from annoyance, and they both toppled to the floor. 

She pushed him back as she rolled away, trying to keep distance from him. He grabbed her ankle as she attempted her escape, and pushed himself on top of her. His fist connected with her nose, and more blood began to drip from her body as she squirmed under his grip. She ignored the throbbing of her nose and her leg jutted out to kick him.

His grip released just enough for her to turn the table. She shoved him off of her, not wanting to continue the wrestling they were previously engaged in, and began to scoot away as quickly as she could.

The elevator doors began to open once again, but neither ‘teen’ care nor noticed as they engaged in another brawl.

Odd flipped himself over and sat on his haunches, Yumi slowly standing back up. Odd dived toward her with ridiculous speed his fist grazing his abdomen as she dodged. She twirled slightly and while the motions left a wave of nausea to crash over her, she kicked her leg out to hit the blond in the chest. He stumbled slightly, grinning at her almost threateningly, a strange leer to his otherwise expressionless face.

He struck out his arm again, and she moved just in time to miss his fist connecting with her neck, but he quickly swivelled to add momentum to a foot she hadn’t even noticed he’s lifted. His foot hit her one of her lungs, knocking the breath out of her and bruising her rib cage, and she crumbled to the ground. 

He stood over her, possibly preparing to inflict more damage, when a laptop came whirling through the air before smashing against the back of his head. 

XANA stumbled out of the way, and a hand was offered to help Yumi up. Ulrich was gripping Jeremie’s now broken laptop in his hand, his knuckles paper white. He pulled her up, his face twisted in clear anger, and Yumi wanted to warn him too keep his cool. Now was not the time to let themselves be blinded by emotions.

Not when XANA was destroying the only plane on which they could defeat him on.

 

Aelita was sprinting as fast as she could. She had watched as Ulrich suddenly began to dematerialise, watched as his face bunched up in confusion, watched as he looked to her for help as he faded into blue squares. XANA must have reached the supercomputer, and defeated Jeremie.

She probably didn’t have much time.

How much longer until she reached the tower? How far away could it possibly be?

She was thankful that Lyoko removes the sense of strain on her muscles. While she had been trapped her, she had developed a disdain toward the numbness of being a virtual being, but now she was grateful.

A tower loomed in the horizon, and her hopes soared as high as the tower.

Until, that is, she noticed two other towers right next to it, all three gleaming red in activation. And all three, guarded by a crab and a block each.

She hated her luck.

Well shit. 

How was she supposed to tell which one was the right one? XANA had pulled this trick once before, with two towers instead of three, and Aelita just had to guess which one was correct. But now there was another tower to choose from, and all three were guarded, and she didn’t know how much time she had left. 

Holes had been steadily increasing as Ulrich and Aelita ran in the desert. Sometimes they were near them or they appeared under them like before, or they were far off in the distance. Jeremie hadn’t been able to give any warnings since he was likely dealing with XANA, and Aelita knew that the increase in holes meant a decrease in the amount of time she had left to save them.

She stared anxiously at the three towers, trying to find any indication, any minuscule detail that showed her which one was the real tower. Last time, she had guessed and found the right tower on pure luck, and it seems that this time won’t be any different.

She needed to figure this out quickly, however. She had no idea what was going on in the real world, no idea how her friends were fairing or if they were in critical condition, and she had no clue has to how much time she had before Lyoko would be completely deleted.

Fuck.

 

Ulrich’s vision was blinded by red.

The red dripping down Yumi’s nose and forehead. The red splattered on the ground where Jeremie was laying limp, red stained in his turtleneck and hair. The red that oozed from Odd, from his cracked skull and various other injuries he had sustained yet didn’t feel, yet didn’t hinder his ability to fight in any way.

He was so angry. He could feel his blood boil as he glared at the monster possessing his best friend’s body. He was so, so angry for so, so many reasons that his brain was a jumbled mess.

Yumi stood next to him, and looked ready to depart some wisdom on keeping cool. And of course, she would be right; he shouldn’t loose his head, not in such a dangerous predicament. But Ulrich couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He gripped the computer with both hands, not caring that it was broken. The return to the past would fix that anyway.  
He leaped at the twisted demon, the shell of a former friend, and smashed the computer on top of the fiend’s head again. The virus stumbled slightly, and 

Ulrich used this to his advantage as he dropped the laptop to throw a punch at his head.

He loathed the way Odd’s skin felt under his knuckles. He hated how dry and rotted and disgusting it felt as his hand grazed the shell’s cheek. 

XANA was still grinning even with all the blows Ulrich had pulled, which only served to anger him further. He twisted slightly and lifted his leg, kicking the spectre in the chest. 

XANA wrapped his hands around his leg as he side stepped the attempted blow. He twisted the captured limb, and hit pain seared up Ulrich’s calves. 

XANA pulled Ulrich and threw him across the room, narrowly missing Jeremie as he slammed against the back wall. Yumi took over, her fist connecting with XANA’s neck, distracting the virus so Ulrich could get.

Ulrich and Yumi re-met in the middle of the room, staring down the deranged virus as they stood side by side. Odd’s dead eyes stared back at them, the wide grin perched on his lips. Fire burned through Ulrich as he stared at the monster, his agitation growing with each second.

Ulrich struck first.

He threw a punch at the spectre as he dived foreword, Yumi on his left. XANA dodged but was met with a kick to the lung from Yumi as he moved away. Her kick wasn’t very powerful, however, and Ulrich could tell that she was barely hanging on as it was. 

XANA seemed to notice as well.

As Yumi moved with the momentum of her kick, XANA spun around to grab her arm. They suddenly became in close proximity, Yumi and Odd’s forehead just inches apart. Ulrich reached forward to grab at the spectre’s clothing, to detail him from his captured, but XANA suddenly threw his head into Yumi’s, smashing their skulls against each other. 

The disgusting sound echoed in Ulrich’s ears as Yumi crumpled slightly, and Odd kneed her chest, knocking the breath out of her. 

Ulrich latched on to XANA’s shirt as he sharply kicked the spectre’s hip. XANA let go of Yumi, who collapsed onto the floor with a dull thud, and Ulrich’s heart was racing.

“And then there was one,” the monster purred as he grabbed Ulrich by the collar of his shirt, moving him forward so that Ulrich could smell her the decaying flesh. Disgust fuelled his fiery anger and he scratched at XANA’s arm to let him go as he jutted out his foot, striking Odd’s kneecap.

XANA’s grip weakened momentarily, which was enough for Ulrich to use to his advantage. He squirmed our oh his hold and lifted up his fists l, ready to deal another blow to the bastard inhabiting his friend’s body.

XANA leered at him for a moment before charging, pouncing at him like a feline predator. Ulrich attempted to doge but was a second too late, and Odd knocked the brunet off his feet. XANA’s hand caught in Ulrich’s hair as they fell, grabbing it tightly to the point where it felt as if he was attempting to pull it out. 

They landed in a pile of limbs with a dull thud, XANA shoving Ulrich’s head into the metal floor with a louder _thunk_.

Ulrich griped around him, trying to find a weapon to use to stave off the corpse. Odd disentangled his fingers from his hair, opting to wrap around his neck instead. His hands were suddenly crushing his windpipe with extreme force, and Ulrich’s eyes popped wide from being breathless. His hands became more erratic, searching the ground as he attempted to thrash against XANA’s weight.

His fingers caught on a metal cylinder, and without thinking he slammed the pipe into Odd’s head. The spectre fell off, no longer on top of Ulrich, and his fingers disappeared from their fatal hold. Ulrich choked in air, and could feel the bruises begin to form from the extreme pressure. He quickly got to his feet, not wanting to be on the compromising position of the ground any longer.

He swung the metal pipe again, but this time Odd prepared. He ducked and sent a jab at Ulrich’s left lung, knocking the breath out of him again and almost sending him to his knees. He clutched the pipe as he moved to the left, avoiding a sharp punch aimed or his upper torso. 

He spun the pipe like a baseball bat, and aimed for the spectre’s head. XANA locked eyes with him and grinned as he latched on to the pipe, catching it with his hands and stopping the motion mid-swing.

Ulrich knew he had made a mistake before he saw the blue sparks dance along the outside of the rusted pipe. Electricity crackled along the pipe and Ulrich screamed as he felt himself being electrocuted, as electricity pulled up his arms and danced on his skin.

For some fucking reason, he couldn’t let go. His hands felt stuck as he was electrocuted, and he watched as XANA slowly edged foreword, inching his hands down the long pipe as he moved. Maybe it was shock, or maybe it was because he couldn’t properly feel his hands, but he stood there dumbly as he watched the monster slither forward.

It was all in a span of seconds, and Odd was suddenly right in front of him, head slightly turned. His lips were right next to his ear, and Ulrich couldn’t feel any sort of breath leave his body. Maybe he couldn’t breathe, or maybe he was too busy being electrocuted.

“How does it feel to fail? To see all of your friends about to be killed? To see your worst enemy win?”

Ulrich was aching all over, red hot pain searing throughout his body. The flow of electricity suddenly stopped, and Ulrich collapsed onto the ground, his hands numb but the rest of his body shrieking from excruciating pain. 

He laid in the ground, vision hazy, and watched as XANA leered above him.

“He wouldn’t know,” a voice suddenly shouted, and a blue blur danced in the edge of Ulrich’s peripheral, slamming into XANA. “Because you haven’t won yet, you fucking bastard.”

Ulrich’s head swam and he slowly closed his eyes. He didn’t want to sink into unconsciousness, but it was so tempting. The voice remained silent, and he could barely hear a few more thuds before he drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp. I should be wrapping up this story in a few more chapters.
> 
> Aelita’s confused, Yumi was a badass, Ulrich did his best, Jeremie was a bit too unconscious to care, and XANA’s still a fucking bitch.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie and XANA hash it out, deja vu strikes, and Aelita has to make a choice.

Jeremie was roughly shoved off of XANA, flying back from the force and slamming into the base of the supercomputer. He quickly stood up, dodging a kick XANA attempted to send his way. 

“Why can’t you pesky humans just stay down?” XANA thundered, clearly agitated by the turn of events. Good; that fucker should be agitated that Jeremie was about to throw a wrench in his plans. If he was loosing confidence, that had to mean something.

“Because I have a friend to save, fuckwad, and I have to be alive to do so.”

Jeremie ducked as XANA threw a punch at him, and attempted to send a kick to the virus in the torso. His ears still rang slightly, and God, did he ache all over, but he needed to stay fighting. He needed to stave off the virus as long as he could so Aelita could deactivate the tower.

He’d already lowered their chances by getting knocked out the first time, if seeing Ulrich here instead of on Lyoko was any indication that XANA had gotten hold of the supercomputer. He couldn’t risk much more.

“Why bother?” The virus sent another punch his way, brushing against Jeremie’s shoulder as he attempted to move out of the way. “By my calculations, Lyoko is 76 percent deleted. You don’t have much time left.” XANA titled his head, as if in confusion. “You are going to die if you continue to fight with me. You are in no condition to continue this battle with your previously sustained concussion.”

“I don’t care!”

“It is only human nature to want to live, isn’t it?”

Jeremie blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“You are clearly unable to continue this fight with your previously stated injury, yet here you are continuing to fight. You refuse to give up. Why?”

Jeremie frowned, and glanced at the unconscious forms of Ulrich and Yumi, his eyes slowly drifting back to stare into Odd’s, before giving his answer. “I have to protect my friends.”

For some reason, XANA bursted into laughter. It was almost maniacal, an ominous chuckle that didn’t quite sound like a laugh and yet that was the only word Jeremie could think to associate with the mechanical noise. XANA was grinning that much too wide grin, his blood-stained teeth shinning at their fullest as he leered at a startled Jeremie.

“Fascinating. I asked your friend that very question before I killed him, and he answered almost exactly the same. Such illogical thinking will get you killed, as seen with the Della Robbia boy.”

Jeremie’s anger boiled under his skin, and wrapped around his throat like a vice. He had no response except and angry punch that landed on Odd’s cheek with an angry smack. XANA didn’t appear to be fazed in the slightest as he retaliated with a kick to Jeremie’s thigh, missing the knee only because Jeremie had attempted to dodge.

Jeremie stumbled, and that gave XANA an advantage as he swung his fist into Jeremie’s face, grazing his eye and creating a black eye. Jeremie flailed slightly as his balance began to falter, his hands latching on to Odd’s blood stained and tattered clothing. He stifled a gag as his hands brushed against the gaping hole where his heart was, and could feel the dry blood smearing against his wrist.

They fell to the ground together, Jeremie pulling XANA with him. Jeremie took initiative and rolled away from XANA just in time to avoid a punch to the other eye. He jumped back up, trying to keep his distance from the homicidal virus. 

XANA stood back up as well, staring just behind Jeremie. He suddenly leapt at the blond, his face twisted into a cruel smirk that didn’t match the too wide smile Jeremie had almost become accustomed too.

Jeremie dodged, side stepping just in time to narrowly miss the corpse. The spectre landed on its haunches once again, his hands grappling for something on the ground. Jeremie watched as he clenched something in his fist before XANA spurred to motion once again.

The virus charged after him, and Jeremie dodged a crisp swipe at his torso. Metal glinted in the dim light and Jeremie knew exactly what was in XANA’s hand: the sharp metal from his last attack, that he had used to stab Jeremie all those days ago.

But XANA kept moving.

XANA was sprinting right toward Yumi, blade still drawn in his hand, and Jeremie choked back a scream as he attempted to run after him. He tackled the spectre just as XANA began to plunge his blade into Yumi.

He screamed as they fell to the ground a meter away from Yumi, and threw a punch at the monsters face before turning to see the damage he had caused. Blood seeped from Yumi’s torso, a jagged tear across her stomach and partial ribs. It wasn’t immediately life threatening, and from the starting point of the wound, XANA had been aiming for her heart. 

Still. Blood was leaking an alarming rate, and from how red the blood seems to look and how deep the slash appeared to be, it was clear that her dying from blood loss would be a concern. And time was probably short.

Fuck.

XANA stared up at him with a shit eating grin as he pushed him back roughly, shoving him down to the ground and landing right next to Yumi. He could feel his hair rubbing against Yumi’s exposed stomach, and could feel the blood being nagged in his hair. He felt disgusted.

XANA’s eyes wandered over to Ulrich, and Jeremie knew he was about to pull the same move. 

He stood up as quickly as he could, prepared to grab XANA before he could move. He slipped on the wet surface (oh God, he slipped on Yumi’s _blood_ ) and fell to the ground, his chin hitting the floor sharply. However, his hands wrapped around XANA’s legs just in time to trip the virus mid-sprint.

It wasn’t enough.

He watched the metal as it impaled Ulrich’s side. The blade ripped through his skin, clearly hitting Ulrich’s lung, and Jeremie cursed all that he could. 

He was failing. He was failing so fucking badly and all of his friends were about to be killed right in front of him yet again. He was going to lose to that fucking bloodthirsty virus once again because he wasn’t satisfied with killing Odd or taking Jeremie’s life.

He screeched as loud as he could and tossed himself on top of XANA. His vision was blurred with red, with Yumi’s pool of blood and Ulrich’s smeared clothing with the rusty coloured blood and Odd’s gushing heart. All he could see was red as anger snaked through his veins.

He threw an onslaught of punches, each fist hitting Odd’s face. Decayed skin stuck to his knuckles and the sound of rotted flesh being struck would haunt him forever. But now, it only serves to fuel his anger, because XANA had created this corpse, because XANA was about to create two more to his collection of dead bodies, and Jeremie couldn’t handle that.

He already watched Odd die and did nothing to stop it; he refused to be responsible for any more of his friends’ deaths.

His fists continued to strike Odd’s face, and that creepy smile never left with each punch. His knuckles ached and his arms were feeling strained and his head was rolling in a wave of dizziness but he was focused in on the repetitious action of hitting the bastard that had (and might succeed) in trying to kill his friends.

Suddenly, a sharp pain registered in his brain, and Jeremie stopped his slew of punches. He glanced down his torso, the source of the pain, and found the metal shard impaled into his stomach. He stared at it blankly for a moment, barely noticing Odd’s cheeky grin as his arms suddenly gave out from supporting him. He fell to the ground, and the pain soon became searing, as if a fire had been lit inside of him and was burning away his insides.

God, it hurt so fucking badly.

His vision blurred at the edges as he curled up on the ground, blood staining his blue sweater as he stared at the ceiling. Purple danced across his vision as XANA rose to his feet, grinning manically as he leered into Jeremie’s face.

“I warned you of your outcome,” he murmured. “And I’m disappointed that you did not heed it. But I suppose not much can be done over the folly of man’s ego and the assumption that they can fix their mistakes.”

The blur faded from his vision, and Jeremie wanted to say something, give a witty comeback. If he was going to die, he wanted some meaningful last words.

Instead, his throat went dry and his tongue felt heavy and useless is his mouth. Sinking into unconsciousness didn’t seem to be an option at this time, and he almost wished it was. He didn’t want to be aware when XANA reached the supercomputer and finally won by deleting Aelita.

He settled for spitting on Odd’s shoes, blood mingled with saliva. XANA’s grinned expanded almost comically as he glanced down.

“You teenagers really are similar. You’re dead friend did the same thing to me.” He turned on his heels and began to walk to the metal chair, his back facing Jeremie. “After I’m finished here, I’ll give you the same death as him. Ironies are rather... pleasurable to create.”

Jeremie didn’t say anything, and just laid on the ground. He felt paralysed with pain, and realised that this was it.

They had lost.

 

Aelita ducked behind a rock, eyes trained on the three towers as gears turned in her head. She couldn’t find any sort of discrepancy between the three, no indication that one was real. There was no way to tell.

The strange holes that glitched into existence continued to expand and grow in number. It was getting harder to manoeuvre around those obstacles and she knew that time was of the essence. 

She supposed she’ll just have to guess, just like last time.

If she was wrong...

But if she couldn’t choose to do nothing. If there was a chance that she would be right, and that she could stop XANA’s attack on the first try, then she’d have to take it. There wasn’t a choice.

But which one?

She stared at the towers, uncertainty waving over her. She’ll just have to go by her instinct instead of logic and clues. 

Slowly, she moved away from the rock she had hide behind. Now or never, she supposed.

She sprinted as fast as she could, pumping her legs as she locked into the left tower. She hoped she was right, and wasn’t about to make a huge mistake.

The crab and block guarding the left tower noticed her not so subtle approach, and she could hear the hum of them charging their weapons. She didn’t really have a plan on how to defeat those monsters.

Red lasers began to rapidly fire her way. She dodged as best she could, as the openings make travel difficult. She glanced around, trying to develop a plan of action as she began to get close to the monsters.

An idea struck her as she ducked, and she took a deep breath. 

A soft, melodic song fluttered out of her mouth as she continued to run, trying to concentrate on the song and dodging. As soon as she finished, a large wind began to blow, and a smirk crossed her face. It was working.

Very quickly, a dust storm began to blow. Grainy, silky sand was whipped up into a tornado like feature, and it smoothly began to chase the block and crab. She watched as the storm swept up the two monsters, removing the obstacles as planned.

She took a deep breath and began to run again, trying to not use up anymore of the precious time she had left. 

She stumbled into the tower, and raced to the middle eye. Slowly, she began to feel herself be lifted into the air. She hoped she had picked the right tower.

Speaking of, the tower in question suddenly began to shake. She had a feeling it was an effect of the deletion, and the tower was very soon going to disappear. She prayed that she still had enough time, that she could fix whatever was happening in the real world and on Lyoko.

She landed gently on the top level, and the screen appeared before her eyes. She set her hand against the monitor, watching as the letters slowly began to fill the screen. 

Another rumble shook the tower, and she was ready to accept whatever fate handed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeremie gets stabbed, Ulrich gets stabbed, Yumi gets stabbed, basically all of your faves have been stabbed at this point, and Aelita made a tough call. XANA’s a bitch and I’m ready to fist fight that dick.  
> Like, two more chapters after this; I’m pretty sure.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The effects of Aelita’s choice of tower catches up to the gang.

_XANA collapsed to the ground in a heap, just as he had made it to the supercomputer. Jeremie watched with wide eyes as the spectre suddenly dropped like a stone in water, and realised Aelita must have done it._

_She deactivated the tower._

_He crawled along the ground, dragging himself toward the mangled mess that was his laptop. The pain flared in his stomach, and he wanted nothing more than to just lie on the floor and curl up into a ball, but he pressed onward. He had too._

_He reached his laptop and pulled out the disk he had carefully stored away in there. He thanked every god he could think of that the disk was in perfect shape; no scratches or cracks anywhere in sight._

_He pulled himself toward the computer, pointedly ignoring the purple mass on the ground beside him. White frayed the edges of his vision as the searing pain intensified while he pushed himself up to the supercomputer’s monitor. He shoved the disk into the small opening, and pushed it closed. He really hoped this would work._

_Silently, he pushed the enter key, initiating the return to the past feature. He glanced down at the corpse, and took a deep breath._

_“See you soon,” he murmured as the world around him went white._

 

Ulrich’s head was pounding as he woke up, blackness and multi-coloured spots dancing across his vision as he slowly came to. He blinked a few times, clearing his foggy eye sight as he took in his new surroundings.

Sharply, he took a shallow breath. He was in the forest.

Oh god, he was in that damned forest again.

Briefly, he wondered if this was a nightmare he had concocted after being knocked out by XANA. 

The memory of Jeremie telling them to meet him in the factory after school so they could initiate the return to the past drive that he and Aelita had created to bring back Odd flitted through his mind. He wasn’t sure if he believed that it would work, and last he checked, Jeremie had been unconscious while he fought XANA.

There was, of course, one way to check and see if something had changed while he had been out.

He took a deep, deep breath and screwed his eyes shut for a moment. He could smell the blood nearby, and nausea rolled over him like a wave from the Seine. He didn’t want to see the body again; he didn’t want to provide anymore things to fuel his nightmares.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and lowered them to the ground. Purple was the first thing that registered as he took in the crumpled form in front of him, red staining the violet colour in splotches. He backed away for a moment, head throbbing and stomach contracting as fear pulled through him.

It wasn’t until he forced himself to look again did he see a difference than the first time. Odd was slumped against the base of the tree, looking as dead as Ulrich assumed him to be. He was extremely pale, his flesh a paper white, and bruises of various colours climbed up his exposed skin like roses scaling a fences. Scratches and jagged, gnarly cuts that were bleeding shone in the sunny sky above. 

His arm was clearly broken, and he could see parts of bone sticking out from his skin. His nose was also broken; blood dribbled down his chin and stained his lips from the injury.

However, there was no stab wound to the heart.

Ulrich rubbed his eyes and looked again, just to be sure.

His shirt was splattered with blood, but there was no hole gushing and oozing that red liquid. There was no slash across the chest, no indication if there having ever been an injury. Like Odd’s heart hadn’t been crushed.

Hope raced through Ulrich as he leaned closer to the unconscious boy. Hesitantly, he reached out and grabbed Odd’s wrist. His hand was still warm, and Ulrich could feel a very faint pulse under his fingertips.

Holy shit.

Odd was-

He was _alive._

Tears pricked his eyes as he stared at the body. He could make out the soft rise and fall of his chest, and Ulrich didn’t bother to stop the tears from dripping down his face. He gingerly pulled the blond into his arms, trying not to crush him in his hug. 

“You’ll be okay good buddy,” he murmured, brushing Odd’s matted hair from his forehead. “You’re going to be okay.”

A soft rustling caught his attention, and he sharply looked up. A blur of pink and blue slowly came into view, and Ulrich could make out the outlines of Jeremie and Aelita running at full speed toward him.

They stopped a few meters away, hovering from a nearby distance, clearly afraid of the outcome. They glanced uneasily at Odd before giving Ulrich their attention.

“Did it work?” Jeremie finally wheezed out. “Is he alive?”

Ulrich slowly nodded, and Aelita released a soft gasp. Tears started to spill from her eyes as she murmured, “Thank God.”

“He’s still in bad shape,” Ulrich began. “The return to the past didn’t heal everything, just the heart injury, I guess.”

They slowly slunk foreword, as if afraid they would spook the life from Odd like scaring away a baby animal. Aelita sat on the ground, eyes never leaving Odd’s chest as she lowered herself to the ground. Jeremie crouched next to her, eyes scanning Odd’s body with an analytical sharpness Ulrich hadn’t noticed had dulled after Odd had been killed.

“He needs medical examination,” Jeremie murmured, more to himself. “We made the return to the past so it could rid him of the heart injury. Trying to fix anything else he had before he was killed required immense amounts of energy that we don’t have.”

Ulrich gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You did all you could. And you fixed him.”

Jeremie looked dubious as he stared at the body. “I hope so.”

“I think we should call an ambulance or something,” Aelita said, eyes darting between the three boys. “We don’t know the severity of any other injuries he got while fighting XANA. And it’s pretty clear he at least has a broken arm.”

Jeremie nodded. “True. XANA could have caused some of his old injuries from the hit and run or the gas attack to reopen.”

Jeremie dig around in his pocket for his phone, and Aelita turned to Ulrich. “We should tell Yumi what’s going on. She’s probably extremely confused at her house.”

Ulrich nodded and watched as she pulled out her own phone. He gazed back toward Odd, watching as his chest rose and fell. 

He felt as if he had entered a dream, that he was hallucinating this entire situation. It all felt much too good to be true. Could Jeremie and Aelita really bring the dead back to life? Did they really have that much power?

“Our friend is unconscious and has a broken arm. He fell out of a tree and looks like he’s in pretty bad shape,” Jeremie suddenly stated. Ulrich glanced up, shooting him a questioning look. That was their cover story?

He shrugged. “Yes. My name’s Jeremie Belpois. My friend’s name is Odd Della Robbia. He’s not dead.”

 

Being alive had so many different definitions and connotations depending on who you ask. A literal definition would be the body is still functioning, but it only defines physically. Emotionally and mentally, one can be dead even if their body functions optimally.

As Jeremie sat in the waiting room, his eyes drooping and his body sagging, he pondered these thoughts cautiously. There’s no telling what damage had happened to Odd, be it physically or psychologically. He had no way to tell if this would be the same Odd before he had died, or if he would be changed forever.

Of course he couldn’t be the same. You can’t die and still be the same person before. You can’t just shake off being murdered by a classmate, even if they were possessed.

Jeremie watched the others, trying to dispel his spiralling thoughts. Odd was alive (physically). That was enough.

Yumi was sitting across from him, tired eyes staring blankly at the clock behind him. Aelita had contacted her while the ambulance was coming. They had met up at the hospital, and Yumi seemed like she was in a haze. Like she couldn’t believe what was happening. It made sense. She hadn’t seen him yet.

Aelita was curled next to her, asleep, tears stained on her cheeks as she slept. Ulrich was to his left, staring at the roof, his face strangely stony as he did so.

He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall. They’ve been here for what felt like forever after giving their cover story so Odd could be properly treated (Aelita made up some bullshit on how they had been LARPing and Odd had climbed a tree only to fall out. Other bruises and such were also caused from Odd and Ulrich rough-housing from the previously stated activity of LARPing) and his anxiety has been growing with each hour as they waited to hear the severity, waited to hear if he would be alright, waited for him to wake up.

They knew it wasn’t pretty. The fight with XANA had left nasty injuries besides the fatal one, and Jeremie felt guilty that he hadn’t been able to figure out the proper coding to fix him completely. 

He suffered from a broken arm and nose, his arm practically shattered near the elbow, two broken and one fractured ribs, extreme bruising and deep cuts, head trauma, and internal bleeding from being hit by the car so long ago had acted up again. All in all, it did not look good.

A loud clatter startled him, and he could feel Ulrich’s eyes on him. They made contact, confused, before they heard shouting. 

“Mr. Della Robbia!” A muffled voice called. “Please calm down!”

They were all up in a flash, all four of them, sprinting toward the room they had been glued to before being kicked out. They stumbled in, worried about what they were to find.

Odd was standing in the corner of the room, holding an iv stand that was still attached to him like a weapon. He was shaking so hard he appeared to be vibrating, and it could almost be mistake for seizures. His eyes were darting about the room, paranoia and fear setting over his featured, his eyes hazy and foggy.

“What happened?” He heard Ulrich whisper.

“Mr. Della Robbia just woke up, and we were trying to ask how he felt when he attacked one of the nurses before holding himself in the corner.” The disgruntled doctor gave a tired look at the blond. “Attempted to punch a nurse and swiped with the stand if you came too close.”

They slowly advanced, trying to move closer to the smaller boy. His eyes were unfocused, resting idly on an object before quickly moving to another item. He look completely terrified and lost, like a little boy at a store who had been separated from his mother.

As they advanced to two meters away, Odd suddenly lashed out. He swiped angrily with the IV stand, staring right at Jeremie, but not quite seeing him. 

“Stay back!” He ordered, his voice cracking and he licked his dry lips. “Stay away from me!”

Aelita frowned before stepping closer. “Odd it’s us-“

“Stay back!” He screamed, swiping again. Aelita stepped back as a loud whoosh rang in their ears, the metal pole missing by a few inches.

“Odd, it’s me, Aelita,” she tried again, keeping her distance this time.

He paused, still holding the IV like a baseball bat. He tilted his head, mumbling something as his eyes landed on Aelita.

He swung again, startling the group. “No! No you’re not! Get out of my head!”

“Why am I not Aelita?”

“XANA,” he whispered, his back pressing against the wall. He seemed to be trying to make himself as small as possible, flattening his body against the hospital wall. “XANA, XANA, XANA...”

“What about XANA?” Jeremie tried.

“He’s in my head,” he moaned. “This isn’t real. It’s a Future Flash. You’re not real. Not yet.” He grabbed his hair, looking frustrated. “Get him out.”

“Odd, he’s not in your head anymore. We defeated him. He’s not in your head,” Yumi repeated. 

Odd violently shook his head. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

“Odd-“

He swung again, screaming, “Get away from me spectres! Fakes! Leave me alone and get out of my head!”

The doctor frowned, and he turned to mutter to Jeremie, “We’ll have to sedate him. I have a nurse getting the equipment. I suggest you leave. It won’t be pretty, seeing as how we’ll need to restrain him to sedate him.”

Jeremie didn’t acknowledge him, his eyes trained on the quivering boy in front of him. Had he failed so badly? Was his friend really not right in the head? What damage had XANA caused? 

What had he done?

Odd seemed itching to escape, looking like a caged animal. He kept staring at the door behind them, flinching harshly at each sound, and Jeremie felt nervous. Something was definitely wrong.

Suddenly, the IV was dropped to the floor, and Odd was sprinting. Jeremie frowned, noticing his direction. He wasn’t heading toward the door.

He was heading toward the window.

He was going to jump out to escape, but they were on the fourth story.

“Odd!” Ulrich screamed, reacting quicker than the rest of the group. He took off, the others following suit as back up, and Jeremie could feel his heart thumping wildly against his chest in fear.

The glass shattered as Odd rammed himself against it, and for a split second, he was in free fall. Aelita screamed as loud as she could, and Jeremie stopped, freezing as his heartbeat began to drown out her screaming. Time slowed around him, and he knew.

He had made a mistake.

Suddenly, Ulrich threw himself out the window, his upper body moving out of sight as his lower half laid on the floor. He grunted loudly as he snapped downward, his body being slightly pulled.

Jeremie rushed to his side, his legs deciding to agree to his commands, and tried to figure out how to help. Odd wriggled in Ulrich’s firms grasp, having caught his wrist. Ulrich’s face was red, straining to keep hold on the dangling boy.

“Let me go!” Odd screamed. “Let me go! Let me go!”

“Odd! Calm down,” Jeremie ordered. He glanced back at Ulrich. “Let’s pull him up.”

He bent down on the floor, grabbing Odd’s other arm as he thrashed wildly. Odd screeched as Jeremie gripped his wrist as hard as he could, afraid of dropping him. The two boys began to pull him up, slowly and steadily trying to avoid the glass. The girls were watching, uncertain how to help. Odd thrashed as hard as he could, his body slamming against the concrete walls of the building as he tried to throw them off.

“Let me go!” He repeated, and he sounded so desperate. He looked up at the two, his chatoyant eyes staring into his own. Fear reflected back to him, terror and that unsettling, foggy mist gleaming in his eyes.

“Just let me die.”

Jeremie froze as he pulled, nearly dropping the boy. His mind raced at those words and how it was a plea, how he was begging, how desperation laced his whisper. 

He failed. He failed so badly. This wasn’t Odd. This wasn’t him. He hadn’t brought him back. He wasn’t whole, and he had no idea how to fix him.

Ulrich nudged him. “C’mon Jeremie.”

He could see the horror in his eyes even with the poker face he was trying to hold. Ulrich was clearly disturbed by the plea, and Jeremie took a deep breath.

They continued to pull him up and dragged him back to the level. Ulrich held Odd’s hands behind his back, trying to restrain him, and the doctors surrounded them. They plunged a needle into the struggling blond’s neck, and the boy began to sag unnaturally.

Jeremie watched, paralysed as Odd was carried back to bed, his mind twisting with all that had occurred. The doctors quietly and quickly began to shoo them away, deciding that they had seen too much and didn’t want to risk any distractions.

As he was on his way out, he noticed one of the doctors had pulled Yumi aside. He paused and lingered, wanting to listen to their conversation.

“The boy was clearly in extreme emotional distress. What could have caused that sort of reaction? You said he fell out of a tree?”

Yumi hesitated, swollowing thickly. “Well sir, we were playing this game before he was knocked out-“

“Game?”

“Yeah. We like to LARP. But anyway, the plot of the game is that we have to shut down a virus called XANA who’s goal is to escape a supercomputer to commit mass genocide on the human race. I guess Odd was still really out of it and thought we were still playing that game?”

The doctor eyed her for a moment, and Jeremie crossed his fingers that he wouldn’t call her out on that bullshit. Finally, he nodded. “I suppose. The medications he’s on to ease the pain could have caused this delusions state, and with that game you were playing being the last thing he remembered, it makes sense that his sense of reality was a bit... off. You’re dismissed.”

Yumi rejoined the group, takes by a deep breath. As they were pushed toward the waiting room, she murmured, “That was close. I can’t believe he bought that shit.”

Everything seemed to blur into white noise as Jeremie sat down, static ringing in his ears. He stared at the wall, trying to understand the events that just occurred.

He brought Odd back from the dead.

They were in a hospital so he could get treated.

Odd woke up and was clearly rattled.

He still thought XANA was in his head.

He attempted to jump off a building.

He wanted to stay dead.

Jeremie buried his face in his hands, smothering himself. What had he done?

What had he done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit.
> 
> Odd’s back (?), Jeremie feels guilt ridden, Ulrich is glad his friend isn’t dead but is also simultaneously terrified, Yumi and Aelita are decent liars, and this hospital is pretty shitty all things considered.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghosts come back, regrets and guilt become consuming, and the future looks terrifying and promising.

The first thing he noticed was white.

It was blinding, and it seared into his brain. He wasn’t in the nurses office at school, that was for sure; the white there was much duller, worn with years of housing rowdy teens. 

The smell of blood and cleaning supplies to sterilise the location was extremely strong. The school didn’t really have that kind of smell. Strong anti-bacterial wasn’t used there.

He blinked a few times.

The hospital. That’s where he must be at. With something sticking out of his arm, the strange stiffness of the soft textured clothing he was wearing and the sheets he was under, and all the previously mentioned things he sensed, it all made sense.

He hated hospitals.

He slowly began to sit up, and a strange feeling of weakness settled over him. Soft dizziness casted a spell on him, but he continued to move. He felt stiff all over, a soreness in his bones he couldn’t explain.  
Funny. He couldn’t move one of his arms.

A sharp gasp called his attention from his arm. He glanced up, noticing for the first time that he wasn’t alone.

“Hey,” he greeted simply.

They stared at him. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the strange silence. 

“Odd...,” Aelita murmured, her hands covering her mouth. He watched her for a moment before tilting his head on curiosity.

“Who are you people? Why are you in my room?” He asked. “Do I know you guys?”

They stared even longer, before Jeremie smothered himself by putting his face in his hands. Bewilderment ran rampant across all their faces, confusion obvious.

Odd blinked, holding his poker face for a few moments before quickly cracking. He burst into vivid laughter, his sides aching in protest at the use of his diaphragm, but he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to.

“My god, you guys should’ve seen your faces!” He was wheezing at this point. “Priceless!”

“You fucking asshole,” Ulrich stated, but with a strange fondness. Odd slowly stopped laughing, and wiped a fake tear from his eyes. The group groaned at his (terrible) joke, but a dogpile quickly commenced.

He laughed a bit more, feeling squished in between so many arms. It felt so nice to have all of them so close, to be hugged, even if he wasn’t entirely certain as too way they were acting as if they hadn’t seen him in weeks.

They let go after a while, a bit reluctantly, but he did need to breathe. Plus, it was kind of hard to be jostled around with all of his injuries and not feel pain.

“Anyway, what’s got you all in such a sour mood?” He glanced around, happy to see their expressions had gone from fear to annoyance in 0 to 60. “Actually, now that we’re mentioning it, what exactly am I doing in this hospital?”

An uneasy glance between the four teens went not unnoticed by Odd. The tension suddenly peeked even higher than before, and he wondered where exactly he had gone wrong. Yumi gave a tentative cough, and Odd glanced over at her.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”  
Odd frowned, and screwed his eyes shut in concentration. Good question.

“Let’s see... the supercomputer kicked me out from Lyoko because my DNA was too similar to XANA. I hung out with Jeremie for a while and then Sissi appeared, who was possessed by XANA. She beat the shit out of Jeremie, and I stepped in to stop her. She chased me around the factory and it was a pretty nasty fight. Eventually, we left the factory and began to fight on the bridge, and then...”

The taste of rust settled in his mouth, and he could feel the liquid blood. He could feel the sudden sharpness of pain in his chest, could feel his shirt began to stick to him, a strange red adhesive staining his clothing. 

He could feel himself reaching, trying to grab her clothes, but his grasp was too weak. “And then...”

He could feel himself falling, the rush of wind as it rustled his mangled hair. He felt the impact of his body on the Seine, the stinging pain of hitting the sharp waves. 

He could feel himself drowning.

He couldn’t tell if it was from the blood in his mouth or the water from the river or-

“Odd?” Aelita’s voice was gentle, soft, and Odd latched on to it like a drowning man clutching a life preserver. 

He had zoned out, staring blankly at the wall behind Ulrich and Yumi. He coughed and rubbed his eyes before glancing back at the group.

“I died.” He swallowed thickly. “Didn’t I? I remember dying. I was dead, wasn’t I?”

“No.”

“Not really.”

“Technically.”

“Just a little.”

He blinked. “I died ‘a little’?”

Ulrich winced. “Yes?”

“But you don’t remember anything after that?” Jeremie prodded, his eyes sharply watching him. Odd tilted his head.

“Not really. No. I died and then I woke up here.” He paused. “Did something happen?”

Another uneasy glance passed between the group. Something clearly did happen. Odd wasn’t always the best at reading the atmosphere, but with tension so thick a knife couldn’t cut it, this was pretty obvious.

“No,” Aelita finally answered. “Just curious.”

He’ll get the story out of them later. “But I did die?”

Yumi nodded cautiously. “Yes. You did.”

Odd leaned against the back of his bed. He remembered the feeling, remembered the crushing terror, the fear, and the all round horror of dying. But he remembered giving into it, remembered submitting because he knew he was done for and there was nothing he could do.

Shit.

He had _died_.

“Well,” he tried casually, and from the looks of the others he knew he failed. “Anyway what exactly did I miss while I was out of commission?”

Jeremie frowned, staring at the ground for a moment as if deciding on how to answer. “Where to begin...?”

“At the beginning!” Odd chirped cheerfully. 

Surely, he couldn’t have missed that much.

 

He missed a hell of a lot more than anticipated, that’s for sure.

The group explained everything that had happened after he had died. God, so much had happened. The first XANA attack (oh god, oh god- he had been used like a _puppet_ for that son of a bitch), his funeral, the second XANA attack, the reveal of the bastard virus’ plans, the race to create the code and nab it during the attack, why he had been given the virus, how he was only a distraction, the near deletion of Lyoko, the final fight between XANA and the combined efforts of Yumi, Jeremie, and Ulrich as they fought to stop him from manually deleting Aelita. 

And then his resurrection, and the suicide attempt out of the hospital building.

He wasn’t sure what he was most horrified at.

The fact that he had been used as a pond, that his body was an empty shell XANA had used as emotional leverage against his friends? That against his will he had housed a homicidal virus, the same bitch that murdered him?

The fact that he had nearly killed all of his friends at one point or another while he was in control? That he had unwillingly scared his friends and that they can’t quite look him in the eye now?

(He can tell. These attacks left an obvious scar in their friendship. Jeremie refused to make eye contact. Aelita seemed nervous. Yumi seemed to be itching to either bolt or fight. Ulrich was watching his every movement.)

(They didn’t trust him. And he didn’t expect them too.)

And then, after coming back from the dead, he had lost his mind for a little while? He had nearly killed himself just after Jeremie had brought him back?

He sat there for a good while, unable to form a proper response to all that had happened. For the first time in his life, Odd felt as if he was actually speechless.

The details they spilled. They didn’t hold anything back. There was clear hesitation during certain parts, but they didn’t withhold anything.

And Odd sort of wished they had.

But the damage was dealt. And he couldn’t undo it.

“I’m...” He struggled for words. What do you say? What do you say to all this fucking madness? He settled for what he was feeling. “I’m sorry.”

Jeremie blinked, completely taken aback by his response. Odd didn’t understand why he was so surprised. “What?”

Why was he so baffled? Wasn’t it obvious?

“It’s all my fault.” He was shaking slightly, and he couldn’t suppress the shudders even if he had the energy to do so. 

“How could any of this be your fault?” Ulrich asked, looking genuinely concerned. And confused. Why were they confused?

“If I had just told you all sooner about my weird visions, we could have done something. We would have had time to prepare for his attacks and figure out a cure and instead I kept silent about it and I put you all at risk. I kept my mouth shut and gave an extended time for XANA to siphon as much energy as he needed from me and the power plant, to store up on power and become so strong. I got killed because I was stupid, and I deserved that, but you all didn’t deserve any of what happened for my mistake. 

“And getting killed was also another mistake. If I hadn’t died, XANA couldn’t have used me against you. He wouldn’t have emotionally manipulated you. He wouldn’t have possessed me and used me and nearly killed all four of you.

“And you wouldn’t have had to go through all the trauma of loosing your friend. You wouldn’t have had to go through my fucking funeral. You wouldn’t have had to create a program to bring me back out of desperation, and then watch me nearly throw it away because I wasn’t quite all together and destroy everything you made again and-“ He choked on his tears. He hadn’t even realised he had started to cry, but as tears dribbled down his face, his eyes overflowing with them, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He buried his tear stained face in his blood stained hands, unable to look at his friends. He couldn’t hold back the shuddering sobs as he wept, and he wasn’t even sure what he was weeping for.

So he decided that he was crying for everything.

He was crying for himself, for dying, for nearly committing suicide. He was crying for his friends, for their trauma, for having to fight him and nearly being killed by him.

There was only one other time he had cried this hard. He was four years old and found a dead rabbit. A bird had killed it a little while before and he had watched it happen.

He wasn’t sure why he had began to cry. He thought it wasn’t fair that the rabbit was killed. His sister Elizabeth found him balling his eyes out and called him a dumbass.

He felt like he was four again, crying for no discernible able reason and unable to stop. Crying for the loss of something innocent.

A hand gently clutched his shoulder, snapping him from his thoughts. He glanced up, tears blurring his vision, and saw Ulrich watching him thoughtfully as he kept his hand on his shoulder.

“You really think all of this is your fault?” He asked. 

“No. I know it is.”

Jeremie shook his head, his hair flying as he almost comically looked like a sideways bobble head. “You’re not at fault. At all. If anything, I should be the one to blame. I should have detected your virus sooner, or looked into that stray activated tower all those weeks before your visions. I should have fought harder with Sissi so you wouldn’t have had to step in. In fact, if you hadn’t stepped in, I would be dead right now.”

“All of us would have been dead if it wasn’t for you. You’re Future Flash saved us from being killed; Yumi in the gas closet, Jeremie from the car, me from the digital sea, and Ulrich from falling off the roof. You saved us all at one point or another.” Aelita gave him a sad look. “You certainly didn’t deserve to die, either. No one really does. Especially not in the way you did. And, hell, Odd, you couldn’t have prevented dying. No one’s immortal.”

“I knew about it beforehand,” Odd argued, because it was true. “I knew how I was going to die. I shouldn’t have gone on that bridge, but I was an idiot and too careless.”

“Just because you know something is going to happen doesn’t mean you’re always prepared for it.” Yumi frowned. “You’ll know a math test in advance, even try to study for it, and still not do well. You can’t always be prepared for a future you only half know it.”

“And,” Jeremie continued. “Even if you had told us earlier, I’m not going to lie, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. If you had told me you were hearing voices and had visions of the future, I would have marked you as finally loosing your mind.”

“Fuck Odd, you couldn’t have stopped XANA from possessing you. You were dead. It’s not like you could have defended yourself,” Ulrich added. “None of us blame you for anything that happened. XANA could have given anyone of us the virus and it probably would have resulted in these same circumstances.”

“But it was my code,” Odd murmured. “I never should have set foot on Lyoko. We never should have deleted the Future Flash. I-“

“Stop. That was over a year ago. We couldn't have known the consequences.” Aelita shook her head. “None of this is your fault, Odd. You didn’t do anything.”

Odd blinked. He... didn’t know what to think. He still felt guilty, he still wasn’t sure if they were really right, but he felt... lighter. And grateful.

“Thank you,” he finally said, the tension in the air was slowly dispelled by his words. “Thank you.”

Ulrich smiled. “Thank you, good buddy.”

 

It was nighttime, and the room felt empty. Yumi had to leave because her parents are worried about here, and Ulrich and Aelita were asleep in the visiting chairs. Jeremie was still awake if the blue glow of his computer screen was any indication, and was sitting right beside Odd. 

The doctors had tried to shoo them away, to get them to go back to home or the school, but his friends were adamite in staying by his side. He loved them so much.

He himself had been drifting to and from sleep, unable to stay adrift in a dream. He watched Jeremie for a while, listening to his soft clicks as he typed, the only noise in the otherwise silent room.

He remembered the last time they were like this, just Jeremie and him in his hospital room. That was the day he had asked him what he’d like done with his body when he died. He feared that the topic he wanted to venture on wasn’t going to be much cheerier. 

“Hey Jer,” he finally began, turning to face him. His side burned from the movement and pressure, but he ignored it.

Jeremie’s head shot up to face him. “You’re still awake?”

“Yeah.” A silence lulled between the two for a few moments as Odd gathered his thoughts. “Is that virus... still in me?”

Jeremie frowned, closing the lid of his screen to give Odd his full attention. That only preceded to make Odd even more nervous. “Honestly? I’m not sure. I assume it still is, but now that we had depleted XANA from most of his power supply, he shouldn’t have the energy at the moment to continue his connection to the virus and you to keep it going.”

It was terrifying to think that XANA was still in his head even after all of the events that transpired. He didn’t want that thing in his brain any longer, and had hoped it died with him.

“However, as soon as you get out of here, we’re going to get you in a scanner so I can run diagnostics on you and see if the virus is still there. If it is, I should be able to delete it since XANA can’t really be protecting it any longer, and thus his coding should have disappeared, leaving it vulnerable to deletion.”

Odd nodded, satisfied with the answer. He wished he could get to the factory sooner, but with his injuries, he knew it would be a long while before he was up and running again.

For a few moments, he contemplated his future. He wondered what it would be like, to go back to school, pretend to be the class clown and keep up the act, to pretend as if nothing had happened, that his past isn’t any different than what the other students suspected, that he hadn’t died.

He knew that he wouldn’t ever be able to look Sissi in the eye again. Because even though he knew that she wasn’t herself when that act was committed, that it was XANA who killed him, he’ll always associate her with his death. 

He was so thankful he was alive, but he wondered how long he would really have. Was he destined to die young like he’d heard others murmur in the halls? Was he too reckless to last? Even with this newfound respect for being alive?

He wondered if Jeremie will ever be able to sever the tie between him and XANA. Will XANA remain I his head forever? Will that virus really be inactive, or will it finally consume him just as intended?

He wondered if Jeremie brought him back only to be disappointed, or only to be disappointed when he’ll end up back where they started.

Jeremie watched him for a few more moments with an unreadable expression on his face. Odd waited under his scrutinising gaze, waiting for him to say what was clearly on his mind, happy to have an interruption to his dark thoughts. 

He hesitated. “I have a question to ask, and you don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to, of course.”

“Shoot.”

“What was it like?”

Odd knew exactly what he was talking about. “What was what like?”

“What was it like... being dead?”

Odd’s blood curdled involuntarily. He lowered his gaze, eyes moving to stare at his hands in stead of Jeremie. 

Jeremie took that as a ‘no’, and immediately began to backtrack. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. I don’t blame you. In fact, we can drop this-“

“It was terrifying.” 

The words slipped out unintentionally, but that didn’t make them any less true. Jeremie stopped rambling and Odd knew he was listening with astute rapture.

“At first, it was awful. It was terrifying. I was scared out of my mind because I had just, ya know, kicked the bucket. And it was dark. And extremely quiet. It was maddening. But then you kind of... adapt to it, I guess. I did, anyway. And it slowly became less terrifying. Because I’d just... accepted being dead. So you kind of feel numb, like you’re underwater but not wet.”

He paused, frowning. “To me, I wasn’t there very long. To me, it feels like I had been dead for barely five minutes, and then suddenly, here I am, back in this world. So maybe time is skewed there. I don’t know. But it was...”

He trailed off, unsure how to continue. Being dead was... an experience he’ll never forget, and never be able to properly put words to what it was like. He felt as if he had been drowning, but still being able to breath. He felt pure, unadulterated terror and fear in that... place. He was scared witless.

Jeremie nodded. “I see.”

“I’ve been dying to see when one of you would ask me that,” Odd responded.

Jeremie gave him a flat look, which was fair. That was a pretty tasteless joke at the moment. But hey, what’s the point of being killed if you can’t make a cheap joke about it?

“I... have another question,” Jeremie began. Odd nodded, and he continued. “Did you have any other future flashes that we don’t know about? Like, when you died, did you see anything else?”

Odd remained silent for a long while, uncertain as to how to respond. He leaned against the back of his bed, and stared absently at the ceiling. 

“No,” he finally answered. 

Jeremie didn’t quite look convinced, but didn’t press further. Odd was glad. He wanted to keep this to himself. Sometimes, secrets were necessary.

“Can I ask you a question?” Odd fired back, a sly smirk settling on his lips. Jeremie glanced at him wearily.

“Sure.”

There were so many serious questions he had, so many things he wanted more detail over. Instead, he asked, “Who came up with the idea for LARPing? And falling out of a tree? Those were terrible lies.”

Jeremie stared at him blankly, as if not comprehending those questions. 

Suddenly, he bursted into laughter, and Odd couldn’t help but join him.

They both laughed, Odd’s sides aching in protest from the use, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

This was a start.

He had a future to look forward to. He had hope, he had dreams, and he had his friends. He wouldn’t forget anything that happened, he’d still be pretty fucked up no matter how long he lives, and he knows that his friends will be as well.

But this was something.

And he was okay with this new beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoooooooo!
> 
> And that’s a wrap! This was my first multi-chapter fix and I think it wasn’t pretty decent. 
> 
> I had loads of fun writing it, and I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you for all the wonderful comments and kudos!
> 
> I have another story I might write, so see you again?


End file.
